In a statement seen by AFP on Tuesday, Senegal's customs agency said it had searched a ship named the Eolika when it stopped to refuel, after it had made "inconsistent declarations".

Customs agents in the West African country found three containers of ammunition aboard the Eolika, worth the equivalent of an estimated $5.2 million, the statement said.

The customs agency did not mention when the operation occurred.

The crew members -- whom local media reported were Ukrainian -- are currently being questioned.

AFP was unable to independently confirm the nationality of the crew, however. A Senegal's customs agency spokesman would not confirm the information.

Eolika's final destination is also unknown. However, specialised website Vesselfinder showed that the vessel had stopped in northern Italy and Spain's Canary Islands en route to Dakar.

Drugs are periodically found on vessels anchoring in the port of Dakar, an important trading hub on the Atlantic Ocean. However, arms hauls are rare.

In June 2021, Senegal's navy seized eight tonnes of cannabis from a vessel off the coast of the country.