SHIPPING containers from Afghanistan have arrived in Canada, filled with rocks and sand instead of the cargo loaded by departing Canadian troops, reports the Ottawa Citizen.

Canadian Forces said the contents of the containers loaded with ammunition and uniforms were not among the missing equipment and the missing items involved were "non-critical" such as tires, tools and tents.

"The Canadian Forces have had and continue to face missing but non-critical equipment in certain sea containers being transported from Afghanistan to Canada, by chartered vessel," Lieutenant-Commander John Nethercott told the Ottawa Citizen.

"Some containers have arrived in Canada missing equipment, all of which is non-critical. The missing equipment was replaced by rocks and other weight so the loss would not be noticed until the containers were opened," he said.

Canada's defence department granted a contract to move the containers from Afghanistan to Pakistan to AJ Maritime, a Montreal-based freight forwarding firm


"There is pilfering going on, but that's normal in that part of the world," said AJ Maritime president Alda Rodrigues. "I've always sent my cargo in convoys with guards, and I've always taken care of the cargo, but as I said, you never know. Nobody is safe there.

It is understood the remaining 446 containers were supposed to exit Afghanistan's southeastern border post at Spin Boldak, then cross the deserts of Balochistan to the Port of Karachi.