Suspect cargo ship gets all-clear

The Nisha was moored off the Isle of Wight after being boarded

LONDON, England - A cargo ship suspected of transporting terrorist material has been given the all-clear by British police.

Anti-terrorist officers, backed up by customs and the Royal Navy, stopped the MV Nisha in the English Channel on Friday.

But after a four-day intensive search of the vessel, which was carrying 26,000 tonnes of sugar, the ship was found to be clean.

Assistant Commissioner David Veness, head of Scotland Yard's specialist Operations in London, confirmed intensives searches had confirmed the initial examination that the ship was not being used by terrorists.

"New information, combined with the relentless efforts of scientific experts, our detailed knowledge of the ship and its movements, and very careful examination of the vessel over the last three days leads us to be completely satisfied that the Nisha is not a suspicious vessel and does not pose a danger," he said.

On Sunday, police said the search could take weeks to complete.

The security alert followed an intelligence tip-off that terrorist material could be on board the 450-ft vessel.

The MV Nisha had been due to dock at a refinery in east London belonging to British sugar company Tate and Lyle Plc in the early hours of Saturday.