I want to publicly commend Talisman for removing itself from the Sudanese oil fields. Sudan is ruled by a truly evil and murderous clique of religious fanatics. It was the right thing to do. Serious good luck to the company in investments elsewhere....
(You have to wonder- Why would a ship bound from Tunisia to Sudan, a 3-day voyage, pass through the Turkish Dardenelle Straights of all places, and then come back and wander the Aegean Sea far north of its ostensible port of destination, for 6 1/2 weeks, and then suddenly unannounced, dart into Greek territorial waters? The Captiain claimed that he was to deliver the explosives to someone in the middle of the Ionian Sea!)
Greeks probe possible terror links to seized ship loaded with explosives
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News Article by AP posted on June 23, 2003 at 13:33:47: EST (-5 GMT)
Greeks probe possible terror links to seized ship loaded with explosives
By THEODORA TONGAS Associated Press Writer
PLATIYALI, Greece, Jun 23, 2003 (AP) -- A rusting cargo ship described as a floating "atomic bomb" was placed under heavy guard Monday as authorities struggled to unravel its last voyage: Were hundreds of tons of explosives below its decks linked to terrorism or simply a business deal gone bad?
The Greek coast guard impounded the Comoros-flagged Baltic Sky and army demolition experts secured its cargo of 680 tons (750 U.S. tons) of industrial-grade explosives and related material that documents say were bound for Sudan.
The vessel, however, was forced to anchor at an obscure Greek port on Sunday after wandering the Mediterranean Sea for nearly six weeks - much of it under international surveillance.
Its seven-member crew - five Ukrainians and two Azerbaijanis - face charges that include entering Greek waters without announcing their hazardous cargo.
"It should have declared that it was sailing with a cargo that was like an atomic bomb," Merchant Marine Minister Giorgos Anomeritis said.
But making sense of the rest of the ship's meandering journey may take some time.
The probe is complicated by the murky world of shipping, where the true owners of a ship often hide behind offshore management companies and vessels fly so-called "flags of convenience." The layers of protection - mostly for tax avoidance - are well known to Greece's huge maritime fleet. Now, it's the Greeks who must try to penetrate the industry's fog.
The ship's manifest said the cargo of ammonium nitrate-based explosives was loaded in Gabes, Tunisia, May 12 and bound for a company in Sudan. But Greek officials claim it was only a post office box address - which often can be untraceable. No other details were given on the firm noted in the ship's papers, Integrated Chemicals and Development.
According to shipping documents supplied by Anomeritis' office, the ship was carrying an explosive known as ANFO, which is often used in mining and construction. It also had 8,000 detonators on board.
The Baltic Sky apparently never headed toward the Suez Canal that would bring it to Sudan.
According to Turkey's semi-official Anatolia new agency, the ship passed through that country's Dardanelles strait on May 21 after declaring it was carrying explosives.
Anomeritis said it docked in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 2 and picked up its current captain, 64-year-old Antaoliy Blatak, from Odessa, Ukraine. Anatolia said it then left June 5, saying it was headed for the Suez.
But it zigzagged across the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean for two weeks before it was boarded by Greek special forces on Sunday in the southern Ionian Sea.
It was taken to Platiyali, a little-known harbor being build around hills of olive groves about 235 kilometers (145 miles) northwest of Athens. Security forces guarded its sole entrance at a gate two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the ship.
The ship's history is also a study in the workings of the maritime maze.
Greek officials say the 1,717-ton ship is registered to Alpha Shipping Inc. based in the Pacific Ocean nation of Marshall Islands. Its flag, however, comes from the Comoros, a nation off the southeast coast of Africa which is used by shipping companies as a flag of convenience to avoid taxes and other regulations.
The 37-year-old ship - built in a Hungarian shipyard - was previously known as the Sea Runner and flew a Cambodian flag. It was reportedly detained in Britain last year after failing safety inspections and allowed to sail again after passing them with a new name in March.
According to Anomeritis, the ship was boarded as part of the international war on terror. Greece and other nations had followed the ship's strange path for weeks, he said.
Anomeritis offered a range of speculation: it was a possible terrorist shipment, a legitimate business deal that fell apart, or the crew got cold feet delivering the dangerous cargo with U.S.-led anti-terrorist efforts in full gear in the Sudan and Horn of Africa region.
"Someone could think that it would have some connection with terrorist groups," he told reporters in the port of Piraeus near Athens.
But Anomeritis tersely summed up the state of the investigation so far: "Who knows?"
He added that the seizure was carried out after Greece communicated "with all the international agencies and law-enforcement organizations." He did not elaborate.
Although the ANFO explosives were commercially manufactured and packed in pallets, homemade versions of ammonium nitrate bombs have been the explosive of choice in many terrorist attacks - from Oklahoma City in 1995 to last year's Bali bombings.
Used as a fertilizer, ammonium nitrate is harmless. But when mixed with fuel oil, it becomes an explosive more powerful than dynamite. |
