North Korean ships in the past have been found to be involved in ferrying nuclear and missile components for regimes clandestinely seeking to acquire such arsenals.

The Indian Coast Guard detained the North Korean ship a few days back after it had dropped anchor off Hut Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The ship was then escorted to Port Blair Friday.

The investigating agencies have found that the ship, which set sail from a port in Thailand July 27, was carrying 16,000 tonnes of sugar to an Iraqi port.