A cargo ship believed to be carrying Russian-made attack helicopters was thwarted in its bid to reach Syria after its insurance cover was withdrawn, according to reports.
The MV Alaed is said to have had its policy cancelled by insurers in London, effectively stopping it in its tracks off the Scottish coast last night.
The move prevents the boat, which is understood to have stopped off the coast of the Outer Hebrides, from sailing until its owner can secure fresh cover.
Marine insurers the Standard Club stated: "We were made aware of the allegations that the Alaed was carrying munitions destined for Syria.
"We have already informed the ship owner that their insurance cover ceased automatically in view of the nature of the voyage."
The insurers are also said to have withdrawn cover for several other ships owned by Femco, a Russian shipping company.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague recently raised the issue of Russian arms shipments to Syria with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a public statement last week, also raised concerns about a shipment of Russian helicopters, saying they had the potential to escalate the conflict in Syria.
Russia rejected the accusations that it was supplying armed helicopters to the country.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed that the violence in Syria has to end but showed no signs of healing a rift over whether to impose tougher sanctions on Damascus.
With the bloodshed in Syria getting worse, the talks at a G20 summit in Mexico yesterday tested whether Mr Obama and Mr Putin could forge a working relationship.
But the two leaders appeared to share little common ground on the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
It was their first meeting since Mr Putin's return to the Russian presidency last month, and both leaders sought to paper over disputes on arming Damascus and the prospects for further UN action.
"We agreed that we need to see a cessation of the violence, that a political process has to be created to prevent civil war," Mr Obama said after talks, which went on for some two hours and longer than originally planned.
"From my point of view, we have found many common points on this issue (of Syria)," Mr Putin said, adding the two sides would continue discussions.
The talks came as Syrian security forces pounded opposition areas across the country.
Intense artillery fire was reported in Douma, a town 15km outside the Syrian capital that for weeks has been under the partial control of rebels who have joined the revolt against Mr Assad.
