U.S. COAST GUARD BANS CMA CGM VESSEL FROM NEW YORK HARBOR

U.S. COAST GUARD BANS CMA CGM VESSEL FROM NEW YORK HARBOR    The U.S. Coast Guard has banned the 'Utrillo,' a French containership, from entry into the Port of New York and New Jersey after inspectors discovered explosive cargo had been put into containers that were allegedly misdeclared and in substandard condition.
   On Friday, informed sources said the 'Utrillo' was moored off the coast of Long Island, a short distance outside of U.S. territorial waters.
   The vessel was allowed to dock for an interval in Red Hook, Brooklyn, while Coast Guard officials consulted with the French consulate in New York before banning the 'Utrillo' from the harbor.
   On Wednesday, inspectors allegedly found that 19 out of 158 containers of military material aboard the vessel contained explosives. One additional container, apparently from a civilian source, also was said to have held explosives.
   The war material was being shipped from France to French Polynesia. French military personnel were on the ship, which had been allegedly inspected by the SGS classification society before sailing.
   The 'Utrillo' was built in 1999 and is operated by CMA CGM in a joint CMA CGM/Contship/Marfret Round-the-World service.