Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Greece arrests ship carrying 700 tons of explosives

Ap
Sunday 22 June 2003 19:00 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A cargo ship carrying, boarded by Greek special forces, was found to be carrying 700 tons of explosives

The Baltic Sky was escorted by coast guard vessels to the tiny port of Platiyali, 145 miles north-west of Athens, for a "detailed search," according to a statement from the Merchant Marine ministry.

The statement said the vessel, with a crew of five Ukrainians and two from Azerbaijan, was boarded by special forces from the coast guard in Greek territorial waters following an intelligence tip-off. No other details about the cargo or the ship's destination were immediately available.

Officials planned Monday to continue with investigations on whether the shipment is legal. Concerns about terrorism have escalated following recent bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

The ship is registered to Alpha Shipping Inc. based in the Marshall Islands. It was flying the flag of Comoros, a nation off the south-east coast of Africa, is used by shipping companies as a flag of convenience to avoid taxes and other regulations.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in