On November 3, 2009 the Israeli Navy detained and boarded the “Francop” cargo ship at sea, 100 miles west of Israel. A search, conducted in accordance with international law protocols, found thirty six shipping containers with 500 tons of weaponry disguised as civilian cargo, hidden among hundreds of containers. After it became clear that the vessel carried weapons, the Israelis directed the vessel to dock at their Ashdod Naval base for a detailed cargo inspection. The ship’s captain agreed to the search, which was conducted without any force.