US ship MV Seaman Ohio harboured at the Tuticorin port
The truth behind the detention of the US ship and the arrest of its 35 crew members would come out after an enquiry into the matter, Shipping Minister GK Vasan said in Kumbakonam today.
"All those arrested from the ship have been lodged at a prison in Palayamkottai. The truth will come out after a full enquiry. The law will take its own course," he told reporters.
The ship flying the Sierra Leone flag was intercepted by Coast Guard in Indian waters 15 nautical miles off Tuticorin coast on October 12.
An FIR was registered against the 35 crew under the Arms Act for carrying arms without authorisation and Essential Commodities Act for buying 1,500 litres of diesel illegally with the help of a local shipping agent.