A gang has planted drugs on a Maersk Line container vessel in an operation that saw one crew member injured.

The Danish company told TradeWinds the incident took place on the 2,550-teu Maersk Newbury (built 2001) as it was passing through the Guayaquil channel in Ecuador.

The incident appears to show a new strategy for drug smugglers, with vessels having previously been targeted in ports, not while underway.