Two boxes sighted off Mumbai, search on for cargo

     Mumbai: Union Home Secretary VK Duggal said on Thursday that Navy divers have sighted two metallic boxes eight to ten nautical miles off Mumbai port which could be the consignments of over 100 tonnes of explosives that went missing from a merchant ship last week. Briefing reporters about the search operation, Duggal said that there was a report that apparently two containers have been sighted, adding that nothing could be said further as he did not have all the details. The two containers were located at the same place where the Captain of the Ship "MV EUGENIA", Khakhin Serjei, had told the investigators that the containers had sunk, he added. The Home Secretary further said that investigations were on to confirm whether the missing consignment of nearly 100 tonnes of explosives meant for construction projects in Afghanistan have been sunk into the sea.

    A high level committee has been constituted which comprises Mumbai Police, Customs, internal security organisations, Indian Navy and the Coast Guards to monitor the investigation and search operations. The crew members along with the captain have been detained by the officials following the consignment for construction projects undertaken by India's Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Afghanistan went missing from the Greek cargo ship Euginia on Wednesday. The missing explosives were to be delivered to Bramco WLL, a road construction company in Bahrain and to the BRO officials in Afghanistan. Clearing his stand Samsuddin Shroff, one of the directors of the ship's Mumbai-based agent-UniMarine Agencies said that Captain of the ship informed the shipping company that the sea was very rough and he would have to jettison one of the containers. The ship owners gave permission for the same and asked the captain to turn back.

    Shroff said there was nothing fishy about the whole incident and full cooperation would be given by him and the company during the investigation. "The concerned bodies are worried about it, there is a sensitive cargo on that (Ship) and they (government officials) are doing their best to trace out that cargo. Once the cargo is traced out they (government officials) will be also happy and we will be also happy because it's my duty as a citizen to help the government and as an agent I am helping out. There's nothing more in it and as far as I know there is nothing fishy about it," said Samsuddin Shroff, MD, UniMarine Agencies Pvt. Ltd. Hyderabad-based Premier Explosives Limited exported the consignment. The explosives were meant for blasting rocks and mountainsides for the highway being built by the BRO to link Delaram and Kanadhar.