Cocaine Found on Board San Clemente Boxship

Around 25 kilograms of cocaine was found on board the Singapore-flagged containership San Clemente during an inspection in the Port of Callao, Peru.

The inspection was conducted on December 15, while the ship remained moored at the DP World Callao terminal, the Peruvian Navy informed. The authorities seized the contraband, which was found in a black bag, containing dozens of packages wrapped in black foil.

The substance turned out to be cocaine alkaloid, the navy added. The navy divers have also carried out an underwater inspection of the ship.

The ship was underway from the port of Buenaventura, Colombia, bound for Puerto Angamos, Chile.

Based on the data from VesselsValue, the 9,000 TEU Post Panamax, built in 2014, is owned by German shipping company Hamburg Süd.

“We can confirm that on December 15, 2018, 27 kg of cocaine were found on board of San Clemente in the Port of Callao,” a spokesperson of the company told World Maritime News.

“Hamburg Süd does not accept illegal cargo and we have guidelines in place to guide staff on screening and handling cargo bookings, to be alert to anything unusual or suspicious.”

The liner said it was cooperating fully with local authorities throughout the investigation.

World Maritime News Staff