Mexican naval units have found 42 kilograms of cocaine attached to the 9,326 TEU containership Cautin at the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas.
Naval divers conducted an underwater search and located the drugs, which were packed in two suitcases, attached to an underwater hull.
The 2014-built ship arrived in Lázaro Cárdenas from Colombia’s Buenaventura port on February 6.
Owned and operated by German shipping major Hapag-Lloyd, the containership was bound for the port of Manzanillo, Mexico. AIS data provided by MarineTraffic shows that the vessel continued its journey.
Relevant authorities took possession of the illicit cargo and will be launching an investigation into the incident.
This was the second drug-related incident involving a Hapag-Lloyd ship in less than a month. In late January 2018, a number of unauthorized persons boarded the German-flagged containership Rotterdam Express in an effort to smuggle 185 kilograms of cocaine aboard.
The vessel’s crew reported the presence of unknown persons on board shortly after leaving the port of Cartagena, Colombia.
Colombian naval and coast guard units were immediately sent to assist the crew. Once on board the 66,975 dwt vessel, the officials conducted an inspection, locating ten illegal passengers. The officials also inspected the containers and found the cocaine.
World Maritime News Staff