Interrogations of the crew of an Egyptian ship seized by Yemeni naval forces on Sunday in the Nashton Port of Mahra governorate are still underway.
Yemeni authorities have yet to provide any information about the ship’s cargo but a committee that includes representatives from the general prosecutor’s office, the public security office, the Ministry of Fisheries and military intelligence began their investigations on Tuesday, said Mohammed Al-Mawiri, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry,
Col. Shuja Mahdi, the operations director for the coastal forces, told the Yemen Times the Egyptian ship was seized due to “suspicious” activities. He said the ship made multiple, unannounced stops as it moved slowly along the Yemeni coastline.
“The ship stopped in places where foreign ships that were smuggling goods or fishing illegally had been caught previously,” said Mahdi.
Mahdi praised the nation’s coastal forces for helping track the ship down. According to preliminary investigations, the crew said the ship was having mechanical issues, prompting them to make multiple stops. However, Mahdi has dismissed the claims.
The ship was coming from Egypt and headed to Dubai in the UAE. The ship’s seven-member crew is currently detained at the port.
The smuggling of goods and weapons is not uncommon in Yemen’s regional waters and over the past year, at least one other ship was seized at Naston Port for allegations of smuggling.
“Coastal forces do not maintain a strong presence in the Nashton Port due to lack of infrastructure,” said Mahdi. “This is the reason behind the increase in smuggling in this area.”
In January of last year, at Nashton Port, Yemen stopped a ship that originated in Iran.
At the beginning of November, the Specialized Criminal Court in Aden sentenced nine people convicted of smuggling weapons on the ship, the Jehan 1, to various sentences of one to 10 years in prison.
According to Mohammed Al-Qaedi, the public relations manager at the Interior Ministry, the ship was carrying 73 tons of diesel, 40 tons of weapons and explosives, and $30,000. Yemeni forces seized the ship and its cargo.
The Yemen Times contacted the Egyptian embassy for comment on the story, but they provided no additional information.