MS Thor Liberty had docked in Finnish port of Kotka when police found and seized missiles and explosives
A British-registered ship that was held in a Finnish port after authorities discovered 69 surface-to-air missiles and 160 tons of explosives onboard has been given permission to travel again but without those materials or its captain, a port official said on Monday.
The MS Thor Liberty was heading to China and had docked in the southern Finnish port of Kotka to pick up anchor chains when police discovered and seized the missiles and explosive piric acid on board last week.
The Patriot missiles were an official shipment from Germany to South Korea, while the Finnish authorities said the explosives were a legitimate shipment for China. However, police said the missiles lacked proper transit documents and the explosives were not safely stored.
The military has destroyed some of the cargo, while other pieces were being repacked in a safer way, Markku Koskinen, the director of traffic operations at the port of Kotka, told the Associated Press. He said he did not know exactly which pieces had been disposed of.
The ship's Ukrainian captain and first mate were taken into custody on suspicion of violating weapons export laws, and have not been cleared to leave the country. Eleven other crew members were on the ship.
Koskinen said the vessel's travel ban was lifted on Monday afternoon, but could not say whether it would leave without its captain or whether the intention was still to travel to China.
"She can sail, but customs is still holding the cargo and the [detained] crew isn't allowed to leave Finland," he added.