The Greek coastguard has raided a cargo vessel carrying weapons suspected to be destined for Islamic State (IS) forces in Libya, according to local media reports.
The vessel was raided while underway off Ierapetra, on the south coast of Crete. The Coastguard has diverted the ship to Crete’s Heraklion Port, where it is expected to arrive early on Wednesday morning for further searches and investigation.
Local media reports say the vessel was carrying weapons and explosives inside containers. Crew members have reportedly been arrested.
UPDATE: Greek media has named the vessel as the Bolivia-flagged singledecker general cargo vessel Haddad 1 (1,400 dwt, built 1976), which is commercially managed by Piraeus-based IMS Hellenic, according to Equasis. The vessel’s registered owner is Haddad Shipping Co.
According to AIS data, the ship had departed from İskenderun port in Turkey on August 24 and was bound for Misrata in Libya. Local media reports say the vessel’s documents claim it was carrying a cargo of plastics. The ship’s crew consists of nationals from Syria, Egypt and India.
In January, the Haddad 1 was banned from calling at Spanish ports after failing to call at a repair yard as ordered by authorities.
