Tunisia detains ship carrying Russian weapons bound for Cameroon
The Tunisian authorities have detained a ship that set sail from the port at Novorossiysk and was found to be carrying military equipment and ammunition, reported Maritime Bulletin website and Agenzia Nova news agency.
According to Maritime Bulletin, the ship Ural, which was flying the Panamanian flag, was heading for Cameroon. The ship's operator is a Turkish company.
The ship arrived at the Tunisian port of Sfax for repairs. During inspection, customs found 24 containers with infantry fighting vehicles, bulldozers, military uniforms, walkie-talkies and satellite communications equipment, writes Agenzia Nova.
The agency claims that the authorities are investigating the ship's crew for involvement in terrorism.
Maritime Bulletin calls the Ural’s route strange; it crossed the Ionian Sea, which would not be necessary if it took a regular route to Cameroon, then went to the coast of Libya, then went to Sfax. Agenzia Nova also wrote that such a route aroused suspicion in Tunisia.
In January, an African dry cargo ship rammed the Russian military ship Yamal, which was going to Syria. The vessel has previously delivered goods, including ammunition, repeatedly to the Arab Republic.