ISLAMABAD Captain and the crew of the UN cargo ship MV Aegion Glory have blamed India for illegally detaining the vessel loaded with surplus equipment of Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers at Kolkata on June 25, 2010. Well-placed official sources informed TheNation on Sunday that Captain and crew of the vessel told Pakistani authorities upon arrival of the ship at Karachi on July 19 that Indian action to detain the UN charter vessel for 12 days was totally illegal and breach of the UN charter. Despite apprising them of entire details and documents, the Indian authorities detained the vessel, sources quoted them as telling the Pakistani officials at the Karachi port. Sources further said that the ill-fated UN ship started its voyage from Monrovia, Liberia via Chittagong-Kolkata-Karachi on 18 May 2010. On 25 May 2010, after unloading cargo of Bangladeshi contingent at Chittagong, the vessel headed towards Kolkata for unloading of Nepalese cargo. The Indian authorities seized the UN vessel at Diamond Bay, Calcutta contrary to the rules. The cargo ship was detained for 12 days and was subsequently released by Indian authorities on 8 July 2010 after UN intervention. Sources were of the view that the safety and security of the equipment and vehicles was the sole responsibility of United Nations authorities. All cargo on board was locked/sealed with UN marking and was being shipped under the authority of United Nations.