Controversial aid ship heading for Lanka despite objections

A vessel said to be carrying supplies for the displaced people in the north has entered the Red Sea after traveling through the Suez Canal and is said to be heading for Sri Lanka despite the government saying it has not been given clearance and the Navy placed on alert.

The Ship 'Captain Ali' (IMO: 6619920) is carrying approximately 884 metric tons of food, medicine, and other essential humanitarian relief items destined for the 330,000 Tamil civilians in the Vanni area of Northern Sri Lanka displaced by the war. The Mission to Sri Lanka began the 1st leg of its journey from the Port of Ipswich, UK on 20 April 2009.