Indian police arrest crew of American ship 'MV Seaman Guard Ohio' - Another Maersk Alabama in hot water

• Security breach by American ship illegally carrying arms and ammunition
• India justifies detention of American ship, arrest of its crew

MV Seaman Guard Ohio 

The ship is accused of carrying a cache of weapons and ammunition in Indian waters and failing to produce proper paperwork for it.

Tuticorin:  Indian police have arrested the crew of a US-owned ship MV Seaman Guard Ohio, that was impounded on October 12, on charges of illegally transporting weapons and ammunition in Indian waters.

Eight crew and 25 security guards aboard the MV Seaman Guard Ohio were arrested after they failed to produce documents allowing them to carry the weapons, Indian government officials said.

Two other crew members, who were not arrested, were allowed to stay on board to carry out maintenance work.

The crew and security guards on board included British, Estonian, Indian and Ukrainian nationals.

Police said they had seized 35 automatic weapons and nearly 5,700 rounds of ammunition from the security guards on the ship.

The men were charged with illegal possession of weapons and ammunition and entering India's territorial waters without permission.

The ship is owned by Virginia-based security company AdvanFort but is registered in Sierra Leone.

It was detained on October 12 and has been in Tuticorin port in southern India's Tamil Nadu state.

India justified the detention of a ship owned by an American company, on Friday, and the arrest of its crew, saying the action was taken as the vessel in Indian waters carried arms, ammunition and armed guards without necessary authorisation.

"The vessel is owned by an American company but has the flag of Sierra Leone. It was stopped by the Coast Guard in consideration of issues like it was carrying arms, ammunition and armed guards without necessary authorisation," Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh told reporters in New Delhi.

India is very sensitive about the presence of armed security guards on merchant ships after two fishermen were shot dead by armed Italian marines last year.

The marines, who are facing trial in India, were part of a military security team on a cargo ship when they fired at the fishermen, mistaking them for pirates.

Indian investigators are trying to determine whether an American ship, detained for illegally entering Indian waters and carrying guns and ammunition without permission, was involved in arms trafficking.

The investigation by the 'Q' Branch police of the state's specialised wing in the last two days has revealed that the vessel was found in the country's territorial waters and was in possession of a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, without valid authorisation of documents, police said.

Police said the two crew members have been permitted to stay on board the vessel to carry out maintenance of the ship till further arrangements were made and they would also be arrested later.

Here are 10 big developments in this story:

1. 31 assault rifles and around 5,000 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the ship that was detained at the Tuticorin coast in Tamil Nadu early on Saturday morning, 600 kms south of Chennai.
2. Indian security agencies are investigating whether the ship was involved in arms trafficking. The ship's presence in Indian waters is being seen as a serious breach of security. The MV Seaman Guard Ohio was not authorized to enter Indian waters.
3. The ship is owned by an American  company named AdvanFort, which specialises in maritime security against pirates. Representatives of the firm in India have met with Coast Guard officials to discuss the case.
4. Sources handling the case said that a police case has been filed against the 35 people on board for illegally transporting arms and ammunition.
5. The ship had reportedly been in Indian waters for three days before it was detected. Local fishermen tipped off the Coast Guard that they were being approached by the Seaman Ohio's crew to sell food and other supplies to them.
6. The Centre has asked the Tamil Nadu government for a detailed report on what the interrogation of the crew members reveals.
7. "You have had piracy earlier in the Strait of Malacca and now in the Gulf. People who provide such security need a floating armoury. My suspicion is that the boat in Tuticorin is a floating armoury for one of these private security agencies," said Deputy National Security Adviser Nehchal Sandhu.  
8. According to the Coast Guard, the ship was manned by a 10-member crew and had 25 security guards. 12 of the people on board are Indians; four of them are allegedly former officers from the Indian army and navy, says PTI.
9. The ship was also carrying 1,500 litres of diesel which had allegedly been bought illegally.  Investigators are trying to determine which Indian agents supplied the fuel.  
10. Sources said this is the second time in the last two months that the ship has been detained by the Coast Guard. But the last time around, those who searched the ship said nothing suspicious was found on board.