The Hoegh Transporter is set to be destroyed after clearance from the Kenyan President
A Norwegian cargo ship was found containing white powder and weapons when raided by the security forces of Kenya. It is unsure what weapons were found but it was at the Mombasa port that a raid took place by the elite officers leading to the findings of weapons and drugs. The ship is called the Hoegh Transporter and is from Norway.
In response to this discovery Kenyan security is ready and preparing to blow the whole cargo ship up. The decision to raid the ship was highly influenced by U.S intelligence advice.
What caused suspicion and how and why they were on board is unclear at the moment, but the Kenyan law demands that any drug carrying transport in Kenya’s waters must be destroyed. Now all that awaits is President Kenyatta’s orders and it will be the end of the ship.
The weapons were later found to be rifles and rocket propelled grenades of Russian make as well as other firearms. Mombasa’s police chief spoke to a news conference regarding the findings.
Considering the weapons reached as far as they did, Kenya has doubts as to why it was not disclosed earlier and is entertaining the possibility of a UN agency transporting what was found in the ship.
Police have also revealed that the crew members will be charged, a total of 20 of them. The charge against them will be illegal arms trafficking.
Further raids and searches as well as extensive reports suggest that Mumbai was the place where drugs were placed in the ship and intended for Mombasa. It is from the rules and regulations that everything put into the ship must be declared, but the Kenyan government was not made aware of any additions until the raid where they themselves discovered the drugs.
A spokesman for the U.N revealed that the weapons found were intended for the Indian battalion for a Congo peacekeeping mission. They also revealed that they were placed in the ship in India.
Their take on all the events was that Kenya was wrong to have raided without the U.N. presence as the weapons were stated in the lading bill and left out of the manifest. The military vehicles were also sent with a declaration of weapons. An anonymous commenter declared it normal for weapons to be placed inside after dismantling due to the possible damage during the voyage.
At the moment everything is being kept on hold until a thorough investigation has taken place. Hoegh auto liners have confirmed that some of the weapons discovered by Kenyan police were not mentioned in the manifest. Alongside an issue has been raised regarding the initial contract which forbade any weapons being placed inside the cargo. This leaves little room for any justification.