The search of a cargo ship by anti-terrorist officers off the Isle of Wight, following a tip off that the vessel was carrying ‘‘terrorist material,’’ could take up to three more days to complete, Britain's Home Office said today.

An inch-by-inch search of a cargo ship is continuing off the Isle of Wight following a tip-off that the vessel was carrying "terrorist material".

Anti-terrorist officers today intercepted and boarded a cargo ship in the English Channel in what Scotland Yard described as a ‘‘major security operation’’.

A 2,550-ton tanker is anchored off the south coast of Britain after the crew put out a fire which had torn through its engine room.