Close to 150 kilograms of cocaine have been seized from the 47,018 dwt chemical tanker José Progress, according to the Venezuelan National Guard.
The illicit cargo was found in an underwater inspection of the Panama-flagged vessel, conducted on October 8.
Venezuelan National Guard informed that the ship’s 20 crewmembers are under investigation.
Loaded with some 40,000 tons of methanol, the tanker was bound for the Port of Ghent, Belgium, where it was expected to arrive on October 20.
AIS data provided by MarineTraffic shows that the ship is currently anchored off Venezuela’s Puerto La Cruz.
World Maritime News Staff