Suspicious Ship Detained

In an incident that could have far-reaching consequences in diplomatic circles, the Indian Coast Guard has apprehended a North Korean cargo ship near a South Andaman island after it illegally entered Indian waters without sufficient documents. According to officials, the ship - MV Musan - was first sighted on Wednesday evening nearly nauticale 10 miles from Hut Bay island off south Andaman. The ship did not respond to calls from the port control tower.North Korean ship, MV Musan“When the Coast Guard was informed about the matter, we diverted our ship towards the North Korean ship, but instead of responding they switched off their lights and started moving south,” DIG K R Nautiyal, Commander of Andaman and Nicobar Coast Guard region reportedly said. The Coast Guard fired some rounds in the air to warn the North Korean ship. It was found that the ship had 39 crew members on board and was loaded with 16,500 MT of sugar. The vessel was apprehended by a Coast Guard ship ‘ICGS Kanaklata Barua’ and brought to Port Blair. A joint investigation has been launched.