MSC container ship anchored in the North Sea after bomb threat
A container ship sailing from Hamburg to Antwerp was forced to drop anchor in the North Sea after it became the subject of a bomb threat. The MSC Bhavya V remained still along the Zeeland coast.
The threat stated that there was a car rigged with an explosive device on the vessel, according to Belgian television channel VRT. It departed the German city at about 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, and was due to arrive late on Tuesday morning in Belgium.
Because of the threat, it anchored about 40 kilometers west of Nieuw-Haamstede as a precaution. The 300-meter long ship remained there at 2 p.m. Belgium's federal police were investigating the case. Neither they nor the Antwerp port could provide more information.
Another MSC ship, the Lorena, also was the subject of a bomb threat almost exactly a year ago. The ship was on its way from Senegal to Antwerp but was diverted to the sea off the coast of Zeeland.
Two weeks later, investigators found over 2,400 kilograms of cocaine on the vessel. There were no explosives found on the ship. Police arrested two people as a result of the drug investigation, NOS reported.
