MSC-operated boxship in bomb threat on passage to Antwerp
Telephone caller stated that an explosion would take place if 4,800 teu boxship berthed at Antwerp
Master ordered by Belgian police to turn ship around in River Scheldt and to anchor at Vlissingen as a precaution
A PANAMAX containership operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company was ordered to turn around in the River Scheldt last night following a possible terrorist threat.
The 4,800 teu boxship MSC Lorena (IMO: 9320403) was en route from Dakar, Senegal to Antwerp in Belgium when a threatening telephone call was reported to the Belgian police stating that a bomb on the ship would be detonated if the vessel docked at Antwerp.
The Belgian police, as a precautionary measure, immediately ordered the vessel back to Vlissingen, where it was told to remain at anchor until the situation is deemed safe.
“On 22 December 2022 the containership MSC Lorena followed instructions from Belgian authorities to wait at anchor in open water as a precautionary measure due to a reported safety concern,” according to an MSC statement provided to Lloyd's List.
“MSC remains in contact with the Belgian and Dutch authorities and the vessel will only continue service when instructed to do so by the authorities.”
According to Belgian media reports, the maritime police notified Antwerp port authorities and also informed the Coordination Unit for Threat Assessment, a Belgian organisation that investigates terrorist and extremist threats.
The 2004-built MSC Lorena was delivered to the world’s largest boxship operator in 2004 from South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and is managed by its shipmanagement centre in Sorrento, Italy.
