PODGORICA, Oct 24 (Hina) - The Boka Star ship is not a Montenegrin vessel, port authorities in Kotor, Montenegro, reported on Thursday.
PODGORICA, Oct 24 (Hina) - The Boka Star ship is not a Montenegrin
vessel, port authorities in Kotor, Montenegro, reported on
Thursday. #L#
The ship is tied in Croatia's biggest seaport, Rijeka, and is being
inspected by Croatian authorities as it is believed to be
transporting suspicious cargo.
Authorities in another Montenegrin port, Bar, on Thursday
confirmed that the ship had recently left this Adriatic harbour,
but added that it was not within their jurisdiction to check the
cargo aboard.
According to the Bar port authorities, quoted by the local media,
the Boka Star left Bar a few days ago, hauling another old ship, Vis,
towards the Croatian coastal city of Pula.
Some Montenegrin media have reported that part of military
equipment which should be shipped to Iraq was stored in Bar and was
mainly transported aboard the Boka Star.
The captain of the Kotor port authorities, Nikola Drakulovic, has
said that the Boka-Star "is in no way connected with Montenegro",
given that it has not been cited in the registry of ships of port
authorities in Kotor and Bar. He has added that the vessel in
question is owned by a foreign company, registered in Honduras.
Drakulovic said on Thursday that a majority of the ship's crew were
Montenegrins, as it was usual that local sailors worked on ships
owned by foreign companies.
During a search, Croatia's authorities found arms aboard the ship,
which were allegedly intended for Iraq.
Captain Drakulovic has added that he contacted the Montenegrin
sailors who told him that the Croatian authorities treated them
correctly and that they had sufficient supplies of food and water.
The sailors on this ship are not now allowed to leave the vessel.
On Thursday morning, police continued to search the Boka Star in
Rijeka pursuant to a Rijeka County Court judge's search warrant. So
far some explosive devices used exclusively in the military have
been found aboard, police said in a press release.
The local police said that the documentation accompanying the cargo
did not correspond to the contents of the cargo.
The police are trying to determine all conditions relating to the
vessel and its cargo -- the exact route of the ship, its final
destination, the owner of the cargo and for whom it was intended.
The police are expected to continue searching the ship in the next
several days, read the press release signed by the Croatian
Interior Ministry spokeswoman, Zinka Bardic.
(hina) ms