As several readers have pointed out, Chania based Zarpanews.gr reported on Thursday that a Malta flagged cargo ship, the Mekong Spirit, with a hazardous load of dozens of containers of what is believed to be explosives, is moored in Souda harbour since last May while an investigation of the legality of the activities of the ship is being carried out in Athens.
The coast guard stopped the Mekong Spirit, which had set sail from a Turkish port with destination to Soudan, and at first led it to the eastern Aegean island of Kos and then to Souda which a much bigger port with the capacity to investigate the case and accommodate the ship and its cargo.
Mekong Spirit – Marine Traffic.com
The coast guard says customs officials are investigating the cargo to determine whether the shipment contravened a European Union and United Nations arms embargo on Sudan, or whether the explosives were meant for other use.
Zarpanews.gr reports that Souda port authorities and the coastguard are taking every possible safety precaution to ensure the safety of the cargo during the heatwave, cooling down the containers at regular intervals during the day and keeping the cargo under constant observation.
