http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/3453118?source=Evening Standard Iraqi 'terror ships' at sea By Patrick McGowan, Evening Standard 19 February 2003 Three huge cargo ships feared to be carrying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction are being tracked around the world by British and American intelligence. The vessels, which have been at sea for three months, are believed to be carrying weapons smuggled out through Syria or Jordan. They are all refusing frequent requests to provide details of their cargo or destination and officials are worried that the vessels are maintaining radio silence in clear contravention of maritime law, which states all ships should be in constant communication. Despite grave suspicions of what is on board, Britain and the US are afraid to order interception by naval ships because of fears the crews would scuttle the vessels, each between 35,000 and 40,000 tonnes. If they are carrying chemical, biological or nuclear weapons this could cause catastrophic environmental damage. The vessels have called briefly at a handful of Arab countries, including Yemen, but they have been resupplied at sea with food, fuel and water by other ships. All three were chartered by a shipping agent based in Egypt and are understood to be sailing under three different flags of convenience. The discovery of weapons of mass destruction would be a huge boost to George Bush and Tony Blair and would represent the "smoking gun" they need to justify invading Iraq. However, environmental concerns are preventing boarding of the vessels, whose positions are provided by satellite 24 hours a day. They set sail just a few days after UN inspector Hans Blix returned with his team to Iraq to search for Saddam's weapons arsenal. Iraq is effectively blockaded by US and Royal Navy ships patrolling the Gulf and the three vessels are not thought to have set sail from there. A shipping industry source said: "These ships have maintained radio silence for long periods and for a considerable time they have been steaming round in everdecreasing circles. "If Iraq does have weapons of mass destruction then a very large part of its capability could be afloat on the high seas right now." In the build-up to possible war in Iraq, meanwhile, another huge wave of British troops flew out to the Gulf today. About 1,000 members of 16 Air Assault Brigade, including paratroopers, infantry and support units, left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on three overnight flights. The troops, who are mainly from the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, based in Colchester, are among the last expected to be deployed to the Gulf region. A group of 180 soldiers were the last to leave at just after 6am today when they boarded a passenger charter jet before heading off to a secret location. They will join around 40,000 other British military personnel who have been sent to the Gulf over the last few weeks in preparation for a possible conflict to disarm Iraq.
This seems like a job made for our various Special Ops forces. I hope we go in and take the ships. Letting them just sail around the world at-will seems like a bad bad idea. They've already violated maritime law by going radio-silent anyway.
If this story is correct, I am sure the ship's crew has been told that their extended families will die if they fail this mission by allowing the cargo to be siezed. That is Saddam's M.O. This is a horrible predicament. If true, we can't let this poison get dumped in the ocean.
I think you have to board those ships. Bin Laden may be aboard. Rush the ships with navy seals and do it quickly. They have to be up to no good if their acting suspiciously.
I heard this on 740 this morning, they were interviewing someone from the defense department who said that with all the intelligence we have had in those countries the past few months that this story seems pretty implausible.
Only independent and a few foreign news reports.. None from CNN,Fox,MSNBC...etc here is a story from the Boston Globe saying the report is not confirmed.. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/051/nation/Report_of_Iraqi_arms_ships_not_confirmed+.shtml
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2003/02/20/1045638426661.htm US Navy boards ships in hunt for Iraqi arms Date: February 21 2003 London: The United States Navy is boarding an average of six vessels a day as it steps up patrols in international waters searching for Iraqi weapons rumoured to have been hidden on ships or smuggled overseas. Most of the operations have been in and around the Persian Gulf, where Western naval detachments are enforcing international sanctions against Iraq, ensuring there is no traffic in forbidden goods. UNMOVIC, the United Nations agency searching for hidden chemical and biological weapons, said on that Wednesday there had been a steady stream of reports suggesting that Iraqi weapons had been smuggled abroad in recent months to countries such as Sudan and Syria. The search for hidden weapons has taken the UN weapons inspectors to a wide range of sites. A team of inspectors showed up unexpectedly at the agriculture school of Tikrit University, 175 kilometres north of Baghdad, and gathered around a metal tank, examining and photographing it. Peter Hinchliffe, a marine adviser at the International Chamber of Shipping, said steps were under way to design an internationally accepted tracking system to keep a closer watch on vessels. There was no evidence that ships carrying Iraqi missiles were concealed at sea, he said, but added: "The Indian Ocean is a very big place; it's not difficult to hide things there." US naval patrols in the Gulf have yielded only minor discoveries of drugs and a handful of unauthorised guns. David Osler, industrial editor of the maritime journal Lloyd's List, said: "It's becoming a bit of an embarrassment to them; they haven't really found anything." The Guardian and agencies This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.
When I said intelligence in those countries, I mean at their ports. At least that's what I heard on the news this morning.
