Greek authorities order seizure of cargo on Sierra Leone-flagged 'Nour-M'; no arms found

Greece's Authority Against the Legalisation of Income from Criminal Activity and Funding of Terrorism on Wednesday ordered the seizure of cargo on board the Sierra Leone-flagged freighter "Nour-M", currently being held by the coast guard on the Greek island of Rhodes.

According to information held by Greek authorities, the ship is carrying large quantities of arms and ammunition and its final destination is Libya, which was declared a war zone in 2011 and for which the UN Security Council has imposed an arms and fuel embargo.

In nine of the 59 containers on board the freighter, Greek authorities have found small-calibre bullets for Kalashnikov rifles and larger-calibre ammunition for anti-aircraft guns. Authorities have not ruled out the existence of yet more AK-47 rifles, as listed in the ship's bill of lading.

The unloading of the containers onto Rhodes port began on Wednesday morning, with 20 taken off the ship so far, and is expected to be completed by the evening. The rest of the containers will be searched in the presence of a public prosecutor, the Rhodes customs office director and three coast guard explosives experts, with a fire engine on standby.

The ship was intercepted last Friday near the islets of Imia and, according to coast guard officers that stopped the vessel, seemed to be making constant changes of course. Coast guard drugs' squad officers said that the "Nour-M" has also been involved in drug-trafficking cases in the past and has changed names several times.

Shipping and Aegean Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis and Coast Guard chief Vice-Adminal Dimitrios Bantias are being constantly kept up to date on developments in the case.

According to information later on Wednesday evening, the inspection by a special Rrodes Port Police team has found no arms on the ship, but only large quantities of bullets of various calibers.