The "Maersk Constellation" being detained in the port of Lobito after Angolan authorities questioned part of its cargo, was being cleared to resume its journey on Mar 3, 2011.
The "Maersk Constellation" being detained in the port of Lobito after Angolan authorities questioned part of its cargo, was being cleared to resume its journey on Mar 3, 2011.
The vessel, which was en route from Senegal to Kenya, was seized when it docked in Lobito. According to the ship's manifesto, it was carrying soy for a South African non-governmental organization working in Benguela, a city in western Angola, but the soy in four of the containers was covering a cache of guns, ammunition and rockets.
Local police said the captain had known of the munitions, which belong to Kenya's Defense Ministry, but failed to declare them. Rhe Angolan authorities requested that the four containers in question be discharged from the vessel for inspection, and Maersk and the ship's captain and crew cooperated. On MAr 2 evening, Angolan authorities informed the ship's captain that the verification process was complete, the cargo would be returned to the vessel and Maersk Constellation will be permitted to proceed.
