Jun.29--Department of Homeland Security inspection fails to find stowaways on Villa d’Aquarius

An extensive search of a container ship at Newark, N.J., ended this morning without authorities finding any stowaways.

The Villa d’Aquarius, operated by CMA CGM, was searched after Coast Guard officers reported said they heard suspicious sounds from a container during a routine boarding when the vessel entered New York harbor.

When the ship docked at Port Newark Container Terminal, it was searched by federal agents. Some 450 containers were scanned, but no stowaways were found.

“After a lengthy and exhaustive inspection by Department of Homeland Security officials, the search for stowaways aboard the Ville D'Aquarius has concluded with no stowaways found,” the DHS said.

The incident at the East Coast’s busiest port attracted an unusually high level of news coverage.

The Villa d’Aquarius, which has a capacity of 3,900 20-foot equivalent units, is operated by CMA CGM on the Indamex service in partnership with Hapag-Lloyd, NYK, OOCL and APL. The ship’s rotation is Port Qasim, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Damietta, New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Charleston, Port Said and Jeddah.

(Source:JOC)