Egypt finds no weapons on Tanzanian ship

Egyptian authorities have revealed that a Tanzanian ship suspected of carrying weapons supplied by the Iranian government has been allowed to pass through the Suez Canal following a “thorough inspection.” According to the head of the Suez Canal Authority, Mohab Mamish, the Venus cargo ship travelling from Iran to Tanzania was stopped by the authorities on Sunday morning after the Syrian opposition alleged that the vessel was carrying weapons destined to arm the Syrian regime, led by President Bashar al-Assad. Marwan Hijo Rifai, a member of Syrian opposition’s National Council told the Arabia channel, that “the ship is loaded with weapons destined for the Syrian military.” Rifai urged Egyptian authorities to take “decisive action”, calling for an inspection of the vessel, in accordance with Arab League resolutions. However, Mamish told Arabstoday that “inspections of the ship found no weapons on board”, but contained shipments of plant fertiliser. He said that the ship will is now in the process of passing through the port to continue on its journey to Africa.