British anti-terrorist officers are continuing to search a cargo ship intercepted in the English Channel today in what Scotland Yard described as a "major security operation".
Security sources said they were acting on intelligence that the vessel was carrying "terrorist material", although there was no specific intelligence that anthrax was involved. No material has been found so far but detailed searches are continuing, Scotland Yard said.
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A spokesman said: "A full security search of the ship has been completed and no noxious or dangerous substances have been found aboard the vessel. At this stage it is not possible to say how long officers will remain aboard the ship."
"We do not believe the overall level of threat to London or the UK as a whole has increased beyond the heightened levels since the events of September 11th," he added.
The ship was intercepted early this morning in international waters off the Sussex coast, about 30 miles south of Beachy Head.
The joint intelligence-led initiative involved anti-terrorist police, the Royal Navy and Customs and Excise.
The ship was taken to Sandown Bay, off the Isle of Wight, where it is being moored until searches have been completed. The spokesman stressed there was no danger to people living in the area.
Prime Minister Tony Blair said the interception demonstrated the "top-level vigilance" of the security services.
Scotland Yard said the ship's crew, thought to be Indian, is currently being interviewed and "cooperating fully".
The MV Nishais operated by the Great Eastern Shipping Company, based in Bombay.
It had recently stopped in Djibouti, next to Somalia, which has been linked with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network.
PA