The Höegh Transporter has now been released after spending over a week in detention the port of Mombasa.
The vessel was boarded by the Kenyan authorities when it arrived in Mombasa on 17 September and search a consignment of handguns shipped by the UN from Mumbai, India, to Mombasa, in transit for the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was found. The vessel was carrying a shipment of UN vehicles loaded in India.
A search for drugs by the Kenyan authorities yielded no results.
“It is Höegh Autoliners` policy not to load weapons on vessels engaged in civilian traffic. Had we been aware of the presence of guns inside this consignment of vehicles shipped by United Nations, the cargo would neither have been booked nor loaded. The fact that the vehicles contained guns which were loaded without our knowledge caused a breach of Kenyan laws and our own strict policies,” the company stated. “It is highly regrettable that a grave mistake on the part of the shipper has caused major difficulties and delays for other customers, the crew and ship.”
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.
