North Korean ship yields no clues

A thorough search of the North Korean merchant ship Mu San by three nuclear scientists from Kalpakkam in the last two days did not yield any clues. The ship continued to be scanned on Wednesday with gadgets that can detect the presence of any radioactive material.

Senior officials of the Customs Department and security agencies were part of the inspection, which is likely to take at least a few more days, as the entire ship and 16,500 tons of sugar being transported by it have to be checked in detail, reliable sources said.

Meanwhile, the unloading of sugar contained in some 350,000 bags, has slowed down due to rains and non-availability of sufficient number of workers. It was planned to unload 2,000 tonnes of sugar a day but a quantity of only 2,000-plus tonnes had been discharged from the ship till Wednesday. Some documents pertaining to the transaction were awaited from the traders.

While the physical inspection of

MV Mu San is being done, Coast Guard ships Sarang and Chand Bibi are keeping a close watch on the developments. Mu San has to be escorted back to international waters once it is given a clean chit by Indian authorities.