Arms-carrying ship found to be owned by Greek firm

A cargo ship that was seized Tuesday off Ierapetra, southern Crete, after it was found carrying weapons without proper documentation, appears to belong to a Greek-owned company, Kathimerini understands.

The owner and the operator of the Bolivian-flagged Haddad 1 are both registered at the same address in Piraeus. The firm appears to have owned the ship since February 2015.

Acting on intelligence information, members of the Greek coast guard aided by the military’s special forces raided the ship and found shotguns in a shipping container. Police sources told Kathimerini the weapons, which were not registered, were mixed with legal cargo.

The Haddad 1 had sailed from Iskenderun, Turkey and was headed for the rebel-held city of Misrata in Libya.

The crew of seven Syrians and Egyptians were arrested and the vessel was towed to Iraklio.

Greece’s Anti-Terrorism Financing Authority will continue the investigation.