Two crew members locked in the engine room, suspected armed men sighted on board. The ship is now headed to Sines for inspections
Algarve – The Portuguese Navy intervened on the evening of September 3rd on a Liberian-flagged container ship, the Odysseus (2,824 TEU), following a distress call issued off Lagos, along the Algarve coast.
According to initial information, the crew reported the presence of intruders on board, and two sailors were locked in the engine room. The vessel, managed by the Greek company Cosmoship, was on a voyage from Virgo to Malga.
The ship stopped about six nautical miles from the coast, where it was reached by a joint team from the Portuguese Navy and the National Maritime Authority, supported by two patrol boats and a helicopter.
After the release of the two crew members, an initial inspection did not detect the presence of the alleged assailants. However, witnesses report having seen two armed and hooded individuals, who fled before the authorities arrived.
The main hypotheses point to a possible involvement of a drug cartel. The vessel was diverted to the port of Sines for further checks and in-depth investigations.
