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| Europe |
| Crew held over explosives cargo |
| 2003-06-26 |
| EFL Greek authorities have ordered the crew of a seized ship loaded with nearly 700 tonnes of explosives to remain in custody pending further investigation. The decision was taken after the crew of the Baltic Sky - five Ukrainians and two Azeris - appeared for the first time in front of the investigative magistrate in the western town of Messolongi. The crew had already been charged with possession and transport of explosives and also with failing to notify Greece 24 hours in advance that they were transporting explosives into Greek waters. The ship set sail from Tunisia carrying 680 tonnes of explosives, mainly TNT, and 8,000 detonators, when it was stormed by special forces off Greece's western coast on Sunday. On Tuesday, Sudan criticised Greece for impounding the ship, saying the explosives — ammonium nitrates — were ordered by a Sudanese company and were for civilian use. OK, once again I ask the question, is it TNT, ANFO or both? On Wednesday, the captain of the ship, Anatoly Baltak, was reported as telling the Greek court that he had acted on orders of the ship's owners and thought he was acting legally. Mr Baltak also later told reporters that he took command of the ship in Istanbul on 3 June, and had documents for the explosives loaded in Tunisia's port of Gabes on 13 May. He said he left Istanbul for Greece after receiving orders from his owners. On Tuesday, a Tunisian company filed a complaint against the owners of the Baltic Sky saying they had a contract with them to deliver the explosives to Khartoum. The Societe Tunisienne d'Explosifs et Munitions — who said the transaction was approved by Sudanese authorities — also accused the Baltic Sky of diverting the cargo from its original route. Also on Tuesday, Tunisian Interior Minister Hedi M'Henni said later that the ship owners demanded an additional payment of $10,000 and threatened to confiscate the ship. Is Tunisia threatening to confiscate the ship or did the owners? It's beginning to sound like this may be just a business dispute. Ship owners got the cargo loaded and then wanted more money, had the ship steam around until they got paid. Shipping documents show that the Baltic Sky was sailing under the Comoros flag, but several maritime sources — including authoritative Lloyd's list — have linked the ship with an Ireland-based company. The ship's location when it was stopped suggested it was not heading towards Khartoum. It had apparently been sailing around the Mediterranean for six weeks before being impounded. If it is ANFO and not TNT, I think this will turn out to be just a shady shipping deal, not terrorism. |
| Posted by:Steve |