HELSINKI — A British-registered ship that was held in a Finnish port after authorities discovered 69 surface-to-air missiles and 160 tons of explosives onboard has permission to travel again, but without those materials or its captain, a port official said today.

The M/S Thor Liberty was headed to China and had docked in the southern Finnish port of Kotka to pick up anchor chains when police last week discovered and seized the missiles and explosive piric acid on board.

The Patriot missiles were an official shipment from Germany to South Korea, while Finnish authorities said the explosives were a legitimate shipment for China. But the missiles lacked proper transit documents, and the explosives weren’t safely stored, police said.

The military has destroyed some of the cargo, while other pieces were being repacked in a safer manner.