British anti-terrorist officers continued a fingertip search of a cargo ship of the coast of southern England today following a tip-off that there might be terrorist material on board.
Scotland Yard said today that nothing had so far been found on board the ship, the
NV Nisha
, to confirm the authorities' suspicions.
The Nishawas intercepted by British special forces and the Royal Navy while still in international waters at dawn yesterday. The ship was lying today off the Isle of Wight.
Meanwhile the chairman of the company that owns the ship told Reuters that maintaining security on merchant vessels was virtually impossible.
"n my view it's impossible. Basically I don't see how you can. You've got so many people who come to load a ship, discharge a ship etc. What sort of security can you maintain?" said Sudhir Mulji, Chairman of The Great Eastern Shipping Company London.
Mr Mulji, who said that he had not been in touch with any members of the crew of the Nisha, backed the security operation.
Mr Mulji said the MV Nishahad arrived at Djibouti in early October carrying a cargo of fertilizer from America. The ship then made several journeys between Djibouti and Massawa in Eritrea carrying grain.
The ship then headed for Mauritius, stopping to pick up fuel in Aden in Yemen before arriving in Port Louis in Mauritius the on November 19th leaving the next day for Britain carrying a cargo of sugar, stopping only in Durban, South Africa, en route.