The German government was investigating claims Saturday that a German-owned ship was transporting weapons to Syria, intended for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, DPA reported.
Syrian activists said they had late Friday prevented the delivery of the cargo, thought to have originated in Iran and been transported via Djibouti.
Germany would investigate any indications that the weapons embargo on Syria was being broken, a spokeswoman for the Economics Ministry in Berlin told dpa.
The cargo ship had a German owner who had chartered it to a third party, operating under the flag of yet another country, the ministry said, adding that they had no further details.
Syrian opposition activists said the ship, carrying 7,200 tons of weapons and ammunition, had come from Djibouti and was heading towards the Syrian harbour of Tartus, where it was due to arrive late Saturday.
Location services indicated that the vessel, Atlantic Cruiser, changed its course on Saturday.
The European Union has imposed a series of sanctions on the Syrian regime, including a weapons embargo, since a crackdown on pro-democracy activists began in March 2011 and has since claimed at least 9,000 lives, according to the United Nations.
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