021028-N-0780F-001.Souda Bay, Crete, Greece (Oct. 28, 2002) — The guided missile cruiser, USS Monterey (CG 61), departs Souda Bay after a brief port visit. U.S. Navy photo by Paul Farley. (RELEASED).
On May 8, the US Navy 5th Fleet announced that one of its warships had seized a weapons shipment in the North Arabian Sea.
In a statement, the 5th Fleet revealed that that the shipment was hidden aboard a stateless dhow. The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) seized the shipment in international waters on May 6 and 7.
“USS Monterey and its embarked U.S. Coast Guard Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) discovered the illicit cargo during a routine flag verification boarding conducted in international water in accordance with customary international law,” the statement reads.
Laid out on the deck of @USSMonterey
Cache of seized weapons included: dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles; 1000s of Chinese Type 56 assault rifles; 100s of PKM machine guns, sniper rifles & rocket-propelled grenades launchers. Plus advanced optical sights pic.twitter.com/U00EB74XEf
— U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) May 8, 2021
The weapons shipment included dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles, thousands of Chinese Type 56 assault rifles, and hundreds of PKM machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenades launchers as well as weapon components included advanced optical sights.
Thousands of illicit weapons interdicted by guided-missile cruiser @USSMonterey (CG 61) from a stateless dhow in international waters of the North Arabian Sea on May 6-7.
Cache of weapons included advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles & Chinese Type 56 assault rifles. pic.twitter.com/07Fv92vbrV
— U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) May 8, 2021
According to the 5th Fleet’s statement, the original source and intended destination of the weapons are currently under investigation. The seized weapons are now in US custody awaiting final disposition.
USS Monterey provided more than 36 hours of over watch and security for its boarding teams and the interdicted vessel throughout the two-day operation. pic.twitter.com/IIqA7qCKMO
— U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) May 8, 2021
In the last few years, the US Navy seized loads of weapons in the north Arabian Sea. Many of the seized shipments were allegedly en route to Yemen.
These weapons may have been sent by Iran to its allies in Yemen, the Houthis (Ansar Allah). The US Navy has been taking part in the Saudi-led blockade on the war-torn country for more than five years now.
