Marine Police and Customs officers have recovered unmanifested cargo worth over $35 million from a Mainland trading vessel off Steep Island.

Officers from a task force formed by the two departments intercepted the vessel which was heading towards the boundary of Hong Kong waters at about 7pm on September 4.

The vessel was loaded with several containers destined for Ao Tau on the Mainland. The cargo manifest said the containers contained scrap metal and assorted food products.

The vessel was escorted to the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal where the containers were offloaded and searched. Four containers containing concealed cargo were discovered.

It included optical disc production machinery, about 400,000 VCDs, raw plastic, medical equipment, fax machines, assorted electrical and computer components, and assorted vehicle parts, found concealed beneath the scrap metal.

A 52-year-old Mainland man who was the master of the vessel and 10 male crewmembers, aged 20 to 56, were arrested for attempting to export unmanifested cargo.

Enquiries by the Customs & Excise Department are underway.