Israeli Forces Detain Stowaway Trying to Set Cargo Ship on Fire

Israeli Defense Force (IDF) personnel boarded a cargo ship off Haifa on June 9 in response to an unlisted passenger who reportedly attempted to start a fire aboard. 

The IDF said it worked with the ship’s captain to search the vessel in order to find and detain the stowaway. The perpetrator has been handed over to Israeli police.

The vessel was anchored near the Israeli coast at the time of the naval forces’ intervention.

It is unclear whether the ship sustained damage in the incident.

The IDF has shared a video of the operation on Sunday.

השתלטות לוחמי צה״ל על ספינת המסחר הזרה מוקדם יותר היום – pic.twitter.com/drUVGHgMjZ

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 9, 2019

While the armed forces did not reveal the identity of the ship, local reports said the vessel in question was the 1995-built MSC Canberra, which was en route to Haifa from the Turkish port of Mersin.

World Maritime News has contacted Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for confirmation but is yet to receive a response.

World Maritime News Staff