Tuticorin district chief makes spot assessment of US ship

Chennai: Tuticorin district collector M Ravi Kumar today made a spot assessment of MV Seaman Guard Ohio, detained by the Coast Guard for carrying arms and ammunition, and said he had submitted his report to the government. “A report has already been sent to the government by the police and tomorrow, I have a meeting with the superintendent of police on this issue,” said Kumar.[caption id=“attachment_1171669” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  MV Seaman Guard Ohio. PTI[/caption] He, however, declined to get into specifics. Earlier today, security forces seized 31 assault rifles and around 5,000 rounds of ammunition from the ship. All 35 persons on board, including crew, were booked for illegally carrying weapons and ammunition. An FIR was also registered against 10 crew members and 25 guards under the Arms Act. A case under the Essential Commodities Act was also registered for buying 1,500 litres of diesel illegally with the help of a local shipping agent. The vessel, whose crew includes eight Indians, was intercepted and detained by the Indian Coast Guard about 15 nautical miles east off Tuticorin on 12 October. PTI