Large cache of weapons seized off Oman coast

Muscat: Operating as part of Combined Task Force 150 (CTF150), Australian ship HMAS Darwin seized a large weapons cache following the boarding of a small fishing style vessel in the Middle East.

HMAS Darwin intercepted the vessel about 170 nautical miles off the coast of Oman and initially conducted a flag verification boarding.

After assessing the vessel to be stateless, it searched the vessel and discovered 1989 AK-47 assault rifles, 100 rocket propelled grenade launchers, 49 PKM general purpose machine guns, 39 PKM spare barrels and 2060mm mortar tubes.

The weapons were seized from the vessel that was heading towards the Somalia coast. The seizure was under UN sanctions, which authorise interdiction of illicit weapons destined for Somalia.