UK terror police search cargo ship

Police board the suspect vessel in the English Channel

LONDON, England -- British anti-terrorist police officers are continuing to search a cargo ship intercepted in the English Channel in what they called a "major security operation."

Security sources told the Press Association they were acting on intelligence that the vessel was carrying "terrorist material," although there was no specific intelligence that anthrax was involved.

But Scotland Yard said on Saturday that nothing had so far been found on board the ship, the NV Nisha, to confirm the authorities' suspicions.

A spokesman told PA: "A full security search of the ship has been completed and no noxious or dangerous substances have been found aboard the vessel.

"At this stage it is not possible to say how long officers will remain aboard the ship so a more detailed search can be carried out."

He added: "We do not believe the overall level of threat to London or the UK as a whole has increased beyond the heightened levels since the events of September 11."

'Top-level vigilance'

The ship was intercepted at 0800 GMT in international waters off the southern English coast, about 30 miles south of Beachy Head.

The joint intelligence-led initiative involved anti-terrorist police, the Royal Navy and Customs and Excise.

The ship was taken to Sandown Bay, off the Isle of Wight, where it is being moored until searches have been completed. It will then be moved to a new location, Scotland Yard said. The spokesman said there was no danger to people living in the area.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said the interception demonstrated the "top-level vigilance" of the security services.

During a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin at an air-force base in Buckinghamshire, Blair said: "I can't comment on the potential nature of the threat itself, but I can simply say this: that we remain on top-level vigilance throughout these coming weeks and even if the risk is only a potential risk, we will not hesitate to take any action that we think necessary in order to investigate any potential threat."

Scotland Yard said the ship's crew, thought to be Indian, was currently being interviewed and "co-operating fully."

The MV Nisha is operated by the Great Eastern Shipping Company, based in Bombay. It had recently stopped in Djibouti, next to Somalia, which has been linked with Osama bin Laden's al Qaida terror network.

The ship had sailed from Mauritius and was carrying a cargo of sugar to the Tate & Lyle refinery on the Thames at Silvertown in east London, according to the company.

It was carrying 26,000 tonnes of raw sugar owned by the Mauritius Sugar Syndicate, which had chartered the vessel, and was due to arrive at 0400 GMT on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the company that owns the ship told Reuters that maintaining security on merchant vessels was virtually impossible.

"In my view it's impossible. Basically I don't see how you can. You've got so many people who come to load a ship, discharge a ship etc. What sort of secirity can you maintain?" said Sudhir Mulji, Chairman of The Great Eastern Shipping Company London.

Mulji, who said that he had not been in touch with any members of the crew of the Nisha, backed the security operation.

"It's obviously very necessary if the police and the intelligence have any suspicion that there is something on the ship they must investigate it."