Pacific

Ammunition seized from Russian billionaire's yacht in Tonga - report

09:05 am on 26 November 2005

A report from Tonga says customs officers have seized boxes of ammunition during a search on the luxury yacht of the Russian oil billionaire and Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich.

The 330-foot yacht, Le Grand Bleu, had been moored off Pangaimotu island with 37 crew members on board.

The Matangi Tonga website reports customs officers searched the vessel as part of a quarantine investigation into an exotic parrot being kept on board.

It says three boxes of different types of ammunition were found, but no firearms.

A senior customs officer Felise Tonga Finau is quoted as saying the search was standard procedure and the ammunition would be returned when the yacht was ready to leave Tongan waters.