Wednesdy 10.39 GMT
BBC - The Chinese ship carrying a consignment of weapons destined for Zimbabwe, the An Yue Jiang, has disappeared once again, but it is thought to be heading up the west coast of Africa from the Cape of Good Hope.

It has been refused permission to dock in South Africa and Mozambique, and Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has urged other African leaders not to allow it to enter their territorial waters.

The Lloyds Maritime Intelligence Unit (MIU) in London, which plots the location of ships around the world, says it is no longer possible to accurately establish exactly where the vessel is because readings are no longer being taken from its AIS (Automatic Identification System).

The AIS is a location beacon which every ship carries, which has a range of about 40-50 nautical miles.

It is possible that the An Yue Jiang is more than 50 nautical miles from the coast and is therefore not being picked up or that the AIS has been switched off.

The Lloyds MIU says that plotting points taken of the Chinese ship on Tuesday show that it was steaming north-west up the African coast at a speed of about 250 nautical miles a day.

The US is reported to be pressuring port authorities in Angola and Namibia - staunch allies of Zimbabwe's leader - not to allow them to dock.