KARACHI, Feb 5: The Maritime Security Agency has arrested 16 people and seized a boat with arms, ammunition and thousands of liquor bottles.

"We have arrested some people on board a fishing trawler when it was raided 175 nautical miles southwest of Karachi port," the MSA operations chief, Commander Mohammad Zakir, told reporters at the Kemari port.

Without mentioning the number of arrests and the quantity of weapons, he said: "The seizure included rifles, rockets and bottles of liquor. We are investigating and not in a position to give further details." However, he said that the operation was carried out in the small hours on Wednesday.

Another official of the MSA, seeking anonymity, confirmed the arrest of 16 people, but declined to disclose their identity and nationality. Ten rockets, a rocket-launcher, four rifles and hundreds of live rounds were also seized, he added.

He said the Karachi-registered fishing trawler, Al-Shireen, was loaded at a port in the United Arab Emirates with liquor. The arms were kept by the occupants of the trawler to use in case of encounter with law enforcers.