Russia claims to have found explosives on tanker that sailed from Antwerp
Russian authorities claim to have found two mines on a gas tanker that sailed from Antwerp. The explosives were discovered on the hull of the vessel upon its arrival in Ust-Luga, south-west of St Petersburg. The Russian security service FSB says it has “foiled a terrorist attack”, according to reports by the state agency TASS.
The gas tanker Arrhenius, sailing under the Liberian flag, entered the port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea on 20 May. It was due to continue from there to the Turkish port of Samsun.
During an inspection of the underwater section of the hull, the FSB reports that “explosives resembling magnetic sea mines” were found near the engine room, which were “presumably manufactured in a NATO country”. Each mine contained approximately 7kg of explosives, it is reported.
The FSB also said that during questioning, the ship’s captain claimed the vessel had been forced to remain at anchor in the port of Antwerp for 36 hours, “allegedly due to a strike by dockworkers”.
The Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation. Russia maintains that it is “absolutely out of the question” that the mines could have been planted in Russia.
#FlandersNewsService | A search at the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga yields several magnetic mines on the hull of the tanker Arrhenius bound from Antwerp to Samsun © PHOTO RUSSIAN FEDERAL SECURITY SERVICE / TASS / SIPA USA
Related news
