A North Korean ship headed for Pakistan has been detained off the Kerala coast by the Navy and the Coast Guard after it anchored in Indian waters without mandatory clearance, a defence official said on Sunday.
The North Korean vessel, Hyang Ro, was detained at Vadakara in Kozhikode district.
"The vessel had anchored in Indian waters on Oct 2 without mandatory clearance. It cited an internal leak in its tanks as the reason for anchoring the ship in Indian waters," an Indian Navy official said.
The ship of approximately of 9,000 tonnes was proceeding to Port Bin Qasim in Pakistan from Colombo.
"A joint team consisting of personnel from the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, police, intelligence agencies and port authorities is inspecting the vessel," the official added.
The ship is captained by Choe Sung Ho and is owned by the Pyongyang-based Sinhung Shipping Company.