By IANS,
New Delhi : A North Korean ship India has detained in the Bay of Bengal was found to be carrying only genuine merchandise but further investigations were on, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said Saturday.
“As per the reports available, the ship was carrying cargo containing genuine merchandise,” Mehta told reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Armed Forces Tribunal here.
He, however, added that the ship had no business to be in Indian waters.
“The fact is that the ship had no business to be there…that (it was carrying nuclear components) was our apprehension also. At the moment, it is carrying genuine merchandise,” Mehta said in reply to a query.
North Korean ships in the past have been found to be involved in ferrying nuclear and missile components for regimes clandestinely seeking to acquire such arsenals.
The Indian Coast Guard detained the North Korean ship a few days back after it had dropped anchor off Hut Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The ship was then escorted to Port Blair Friday.
The investigating agencies have found that the ship, which set sail from a port in Thailand July 27, was carrying 16,000 tonnes of sugar to an Iraqi port.