The Port Authority of Antwerp has received a bomb threat related to a ship headed towards the port.
Information was confirmed by the office of the city councillor in charge of the port, Annick De Ridder. “A report has been received. The federal police are now handling the ongoing investigation. No further information has been provided at this time.”
An anonymous caller reportedly warned that a vehicle loaded with explosives was on the 5,018 teu containership, MSC Bhavya V, bound for the port.
The Liberian-flagged ship, which had left Hamburg on December 24, also previously called Bremerhaven, Le Havre in France, Sines in Portugal and Nemrut in Turkey.
The incident is reminiscent of a similar bomb threat that occurred around the same time last year when the 4,872 teu MSC Lorena was forced to reverse course and proceed to the Vlissingen anchorage for investigation. While the bomb threat turned out to be false, authorities discovered about 2.4 tonnes of cocaine on the ship, which arrived from Senegal.