Mutinous ship's crew face long arm of the law

Legal steps are to be taken to remove a mutinous crew from a cargo ship which anchored off a British port after the skipper was forced to hand over control.

The O'Shea Express, understood to be carrying BMW and Mercedes cars, was en route from Bremerhaven in Germany to Lebanon when the 11 Lebanese crew members revolted over their unpaid wages, reported to be worth nearly $26,000 (pounds 16,250).

The owners said last night that the crew members were refusing "to both leave the vessel or allow her to proceed on passage". Their statement went on: "Therefore the owners have no option but to take the relevant legal steps to have the offending members of the crew removed from the vessel - as the actions of those members of the crew responsible constitutes mutiny at sea."

The owners' representatives said they had done "everything possible" to find a solution to the problem and settle matters amicably.

- Louise Hancock