Tamil Nadu Police on Friday arrested the crew of a US ship, MV Seaman Guard Ohio, which was detained by the Indian Coast Guard off the Tuticorin port last week for illegally entering the Indian waters with a huge cache of weapons on board. The crew were taken to the Muthaihpuram police station near the Tuticorin dockyard, said a senior police official.
The ship is registered in Sierra Leone, but is owned by US company AdvanFort International Inc. The vessel was detained by the Indian Coast Guard on October 12 and was brought to the Tuticorin port.
According to a police statement issued in the name of the inspector general of police, intelligence (internal security), a case was registered in Tharuvaikulam Marine police station on October 13, 2013 against the crew and guards of the ship on the complaint of assistant commandant, Indian Coast Guard, Tuticorin for offences under Arms Act 1959, Essential Commodities Act 1955 and Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Prevention of Malpractices in Supply and Distribution Order 1990.
“Investigation by the 'Q' Branch CID revealed that the said vessel was found in the territorial water of our country and was in possession of a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, without valid authorisation of documents. Further, the said vessel has drawn illegally about 1,500 litres of diesel from private sources in our land without following the laid-down procedure,” the statement noted.
The statement added the Q Branch CID seized 35 arms and 5,680 ammunition from the vessel and arrested eight crew members and 25 guards, leaving two crew for upkeep and maintenance of the vessel, till the company makes alternative arrangements for the maintenance of the vessel. Further investigation is on.
William H Watson, president, AdvanFort said: “As these men routinely provide armed counter piracy protection, they also had aboard their uniforms, protective equipment, medical kits, rifles and ammunition - all of which is properly registered and licensed to AdvanFort.”
Sources said the Tamil Nadu Marine Police had filed a first information report against the crew, including the guards, for illegally carrying arms and ammunition. The 35-member crew include British, Estonian, Ukrainian and Indian nationals.
Multiple agencies including the Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing and the Tamil Nadu Coastal Security Group are carrying out investigations.
The ship’s captain has reportedly told investigators that the vessel belongs to a company that provides armed escorts to merchant vessels in pirate-infested areas of southern Indian Ocean as well as the Gulf of Aden.
