Greek Coast Guard seizes explosives-packed freighter bound for Libya

by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Greek Coast Guard announced on Wednesday that Tanzania-flagged freighter "Andromeda" and its cargo of explosives bound for Libya, were seized off the island of Crete a few days ago.

"The ship was a moving bomb that could have had unforeseeable repercussions on people and the marine environment," according to a Greek Coast Guard e-mailed press release.

The freighter, which was sailing from Turkey to Libya, was loaded with 29 crates of explosives and other materials that could be used to construct bombs used in terrorist attacks, such as detonators, ammonium nitrate and a special gel, according to Greek national news agency AMNA.

A special operations squad seized the vessel and arrested the eight-person crew which included two Ukrainian nationals, five Indian nationals and one Albanian.

The skipper told investigators that he had been ordered by the ship's owner to sail to the Libyan port of Misurata and not Djibouti, the destination listed in the ship's itinerary.

The European Union has issued a directive that forbids the transportation and sale of arms and explosives to Libya.

The ship and ship's cargo were confiscated and the ship taken to the Cretan port of Herakleio.

The crew will be led before a Piraeus public prosecutor on Thursday.

The ship is owned by the company Andromeda Shipping, possibly representing Greek interests, according to AMNA.

Authorities are also investigating other trips recently carried out by the specific vessel. Enditem