LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Irish authorities impounded a Maltese registered ship following a seizure of at least 300kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of 21 million. The MV Verila arrived in Foynes from Montreal in Canada. The Irish authorities also questioned the 20 crewmembers.
The cocaine was hidden on MV Verila, a Malta-flagged cargo ship and the discovery was made after the bulk carrier ship docked at the Port of Foynes. The drugs were found hidden in a bale which had a buoyancy aid and a beacon attached. This is a method used by maritime traffickers which allows the drugs to be thrown overboard and picked up by a so-called ‘daughtership’.
The vessel is owned by Navibulgar, a Malta registered company that also owns MV Ruen which has been hijacked by pirates few days ago. International action is underway to free the ship from the group of pirates who boarded it and seized its control near Yemen.
The vessel was carrying a cargo of steel to Turkey, and it was going to be distributed to traders in vehicle production. The hijacking of the vessel is raising concerns that it could lead to higher prices of various materials, including steel products. The hijacking of the vessel, which was sailing on a trip for Samsung, with material produced by the Korean company Posco, could lead to hampering the journeys with goods from Asia.
Turkish traders and buyers stated that ship owners and charter companies are avoiding the Red Sea and the Suez Canal and go for much longer routes such as around the Cape of Good Hope and the east coast of Africa. Some of these routes mean a journey of 35 days longer, in order to reach the Mediterranean, with the consequence that there may be an impact on various steel products. This is apart from concerns that European buyers may experience delays in receiving goods.
– Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).
