ODYSSEUS

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Perpetrators allegedly tried to seize cocaine

The armed assault on the 'Odysseus' was allegedly by a group of armed men trying to seize a stash of cocaine before entering Malaga. The vessel, arrived in Malaga on Sep 6. Everything indicated that the incident, already under investigation by the Portuguese Judicial Police, was related to drug trafficking. The ship had been attacked early on Sep 3 morning by at least two armed, hooded men off the coast of the Algarve. The Maritime Operations Center (Comar) received an alert from the Maritime Traffic Control Center (CCTM) of the Directorate General of Natural Resources, Safety, and Maritime Services (DGRM) at 11 p.m., reporting a radio communication from the 'Odysseus' alerting the presence of non-crew members on board and requesting assistance from the Portuguese authorities. At the time, the vessel was sailing off the Algarve coast. The 'Odysseus' had set sail from the port of Vigo, bound for Málaga, after previously stopping in the ports of Guayaquil and Posorja, both known for the presence of cocaine mafias. Shortly after leaving Galician waters, the alleged drug traffickers, with an Eastern European accent, managed to board the vessel. Under threat of weapons, they forced the crew to take refuge in the engine room while they searched for the drugs allegedly hidden inside. The Portuguese Navy reacted quickly upon receiving the alert and deployed a frigate to the Algarve, from which it took control of the vessel. A helicopter and an assault team also participated in the operation. Despite the extensive deployment, the hijackers were not located during the search of the ship, fueling the hypothesis that they fled before the arrival of the navy. At least two crew members may have been held in the engine room to force them to reveal the exact location of the drugs. The vessel remained anchored approximately ten kilometers from Lagos while the search continued in search of those responsible. Investigators suspected that the assailants were working to recover the narcotic substance before the ship sailed into Málaga, although it has not yet been confirmed whether the perpetrators were the owners of the stash or if their intention was to seize it from other drug traffickers. The 'Odysseus' left Malaga again on Sep 7, headed to Valencia with an ETA as of Sep 8.

Container ship boarded by armed perpetrators

On the night of Sep 3, 2025, an operation was launched by the Portuguese Navy, after the crew of the 'Odysseus' requested assistance, stating there were armed perpetrators aboard. At least two sailors were locked in the engine room by the raiders. . The ship was underway from Virgo to Malga at the time of the boarding. The alert requesting assistance went out at around 11 p.m. LT, while the vessel was off the Algarve coast near the city of Lagos. The container ship diverted to a position approximately six nautical miles off the coast, and on Sep 4 at around 1 a.m. a team from the Navy and National Maritime Authority boarded the vessel. Both patrol boats and a helicopter were involved in the operation. The vessel was diverted to the port of Sines for further inspections, where it berthed on Sep 5 at around 1 a.m. The two crew members were released from the engine room, and an initial search did not locate the perpetrators. There was speculation that it was a drug cartel that boarded the ship. There were two individuals armed and wearing hoods spotted on the ship. They were thought to have fled before the authorities arrived to assist the vessel.

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2-4 months trading Mediterranean, 8800 $ daily, Hapag-Lloyd