New-Takoradi (W/R) Mar 6, GNA - Six out of about 200 people, mostly youth, who invaded a distressed ship that had berthed at the New-Takoradi anchorage early Friday morning have been arrested and detained at the Railway and Harbour Unit of the Police.

This followed about an hour of fierce struggle between a combined team of Police-Port Security and the people who were armed with knives, clubs and other offensive weapons.

Police Superintendent Emmanuel Dorvlo told the Ghana News Agency that reinforcement had to be rushed from the Sekondi Regional Police Headquarters to contain the situation.

The ship, M/V Avijaja loaded with the cargo of broken bottles, set sail for Nigeria on Thursday from the Takoradi Port but soon developed engine problems and had to return to the Port.

Mr. Dorvlo said, due to the worsening situation of the ship, the Captain was forced to dock at the Anchorage, but some people arrived in canoes and invaded the ship after attacking the crew.

In the process, they dismantled the ship's signal box and took away towing rods, diesel engines and assorted scrap.

The Police have recovered most of the stolen items, which were hidden in "Chorkor" fish smokers along the New-Takoradi Beach.

Mr. Dorvlo said there were no casualties, however, most of the suspects managed to free one of the two canoes, which had been tied to a tug, while others jumped into the sea and escaped.

He said investigations have started to trace the agents of the ship and to arrest the other suspects.