India clears North Korean ship after inspection

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A North Korean ship that was detained for anchoring in Indian waters without permission was cleared after a thorough inspection, and has set sail, a navy spokesman said on Monday.

North Korean sales of missiles and other weapons materials to tense or unstable parts of the world have long been a major concern, and its ships have occasionally been stopped and inspected.

"We cleared the ship for departure last night. We were satisfied that it had no incriminating cargo and no suspicious intent," said Commander Roy Francis.

The Hyang Ro, which was detained off India's southern coast, was enroute to Pakistan to pick up cargo after carrying fertilizer to Colombo.

The captain told authorities in Kerala state he was forced to drop anchor on Friday due to an internal leak in its tanks. The defect was fixed and the ship had set sail, Francis said.

A team of Indian navy and coast guard officials, as well as the local police and intelligence agencies had examined the ship and interrogated the crew of more than 40, he said.

India recently detained another North Korean ship in the Andaman islands for days on suspicion it could be carrying nuclear cargo, before clearing it.

The isolated Communist country, which has walked out of six-party talks aimed at reining in its nuclear weapons program, fired a barrage of short-range missiles in launch tests in May and exploded a nuclear device on May 25, resulting in expanded U.N. sanctions.

A new Security Council resolution banned all weapons exports from North Korea and most arms imports into the state.

(Reporting by Rina Chandran; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Jerry Norton)