Dutch police has arrested a 22-year-old suspect of involvement in a false bomb threat on the 4,870 TEU MSC Lorena, which took place on 22 December, before it arrived in Antwerp.
MSC Lorena was sailing from Senegal to Antwerp in December when Belgian police received an anonymous call warning about a ship explosion in case of the vessel docks in the port of Antwerp-Bruges.
As a result, MSC Lorena did not call the port and was then sent back to the Wielingen-Noord anchorage area, near Breskens.
The Panama-flagged boxship was anchored for a week, while the National Unit of the Dutch police was investigating the bomb detector.
According to local media, there were 20 crew members, who remained on board the ship during the investigation period. The police determined that the threat was a hoax and released the vessel which then proceeded back on course to Antwerp.
The ship departed Antwerp on January 4 bound for Lome, Togo where she is due to arrive on January 14.
