Eltvedt & O’Sullivan has provided us with the following information.
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TCI Kenya (Mombasa) has advised the following regarding the above captioned matter:
In the recent past a lot of illegal drugs, especially heroin, have found their way to the Port of Mombasa, Kenya. We believe the Port has been a major transhipment point from where the drugs are distributed to various destinations worldwide.
However, the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, recently stated that any vessel caught with such drugs will be destroyed together with the illegal cargo. On Friday 29th July, 2014 such a vessel with a heroin haul valued at over USD 11.3m was blown up and sunk at sea in a designated area, 16 miles off the coast, by the Kenyan defence forces under the supervision of the President.
The President said that the Port of Mombasa would no longer be a passage for the importation of illicit drugs adding “We will not allow drug barons to destroy the future of our young people. We will track and deal with them decisively.”
We therefore believe it would be prudent to alert Members (Owners / Charterers) of the risk to their vessels especially if used to conduct such illegal business. In this particular case, the vessel owner although summoned, did not respond. We would imagine this calls for Owners to insist on an appropriate indemnity if it is not already specifically provided for.
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