Detained Karachi-bound ship sails out of Kolkata

A Karachi-bound ship, 'Aegean Glory Kingstown,' which was detained at the Kolkata port for having military hardware and explosives on board, sailed out early this morning after being cleared by the customs authorities.

"The ship sailed out of the port early today escorted by the Customs and the Coast Guard," a senior Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) spokesmsn told PTI here.

Customs clearance for the Liberian-registered ship was received yesterday and the Kolkata Port Trust gave the green signal for it to sail out thereafter, he said, without giving details.

The United Nations had earlier 'confirmed' the presence of military hardware, which included a huge quantity of arms, ammunition, explosives, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns and smoke bombs, onboard in a communication to the customs authorities.

The ship, which sailed from Chittangong in Bangladesh, was detained by the Navy, the Customs and the police at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district on June 26 for not having relevant documents for the cargo onboard.

The ship was provided high security as per the International Ship and Port Security Level-3 at the port during its stay.