US ‘arms’ ship crew arrested in India

Eight crew and 25 security guards on board the MV Seaman Guard Ohio were arrested after they failed to produce documents allowing them to carry the weapons, Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh told reporters.

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 Tamil Nadu state.

The ship’s captain told investigators that the company provides armed escorts for merchant vessels travelling in pirate-infested waters in the Indian Ocean.

Police said they 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 crew and security guards are co-operating with the investigators,” Ms Singh said, adding that information about the case had been shared with representatives from the US Embassy in New Delhi.

AdvanFort’s president, William H Watson, denied that the ship was navigating in Indian waters.

“The Indian coast guard approached us and asked us to follow them into the port. We would never have entered Indian waters otherwise,” Mr Watson said.

The ship had 10 crew members on board as well as 25 armed security guards from India, Britain, Estonia and Ukraine. Two of the crew were not arrested and were allowed to stay on the ship to carry out maintenance work.

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 were part of a military security team on a cargo ship when they fired at the fishermen, mistaking them for pirates.

The two Italians are facing trial in India for the deaths.