The ship, which was bound for the Port-au-Prince harbor, had anchored near Mariani, at midnight the bandits opened fire on the vessel.

The whereabouts of two of the crew members are now being investigated, as they did not respond to calls made to them.

The vessel, whose name was not disclosed, is carrying a cargo of rice and is already unloading at the Port-au-Prince dock.

An anonymous source at the National Port Authority -quoted by Le Nouevelliste newspaper- expressed fears of a possible slowdown in activities at the port following this event.

He neither confirmed nor denied that there might be a link between this attack and the government circular prohibiting the transit of goods from abroad through the Dominican Republic via land border crossings.

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