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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Russian 'Dangerous Cargo' Ship has Arrived in Syria
2012-01-15
[An Nahar] A Russian ship suspected of carrying munitions for Damascus
...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti...
arrived in the Syrian port of Tartus on "January 11 or 12," shipping expert Mikhail Voitenko told Agence La Belle France Presse Saturday.

"The ship Chariot arrived at Tartus on January 11 or 12," said Voitenko, basing his conclusions on an examination of data from the vessel's automatic identification system (AIS) transponder.

"After leaving Limassol, the ship set sail for Tartus. After travelling two-thirds of the way, the team unplugged the AIS transponder," he added.

He believed that the vessel has docked at the Syrian port, he said. It was Voitenko who in 2009 revealed the mysterious disappearance of an Arctic Sea ship, an incident that sparked international concern.

A source from the ship's operator Westberg told AFP Friday that the ship transporting "dangerous" cargo was bound for Syria.

According to Russian media, the vessel may be transporting up to 60 tons of ammunition supplied by Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport through freight company Balchart.

The Chariot stopped over in Cyprus for refueling and was allowed to set sail from the port of Limassol after its Russian owners agreed to change the destination to Turkey rather than Syria. But the crew decided to revert to its original itinerary after leaving the Cypriot port, according to a Westberg source.
No one saw that coming?
Westberg Ltd, which is headquartered in St Petersburg, could not be reached by AFP Saturday.

The United States on Friday raised concerns with Russia and Cyprus over the ship.
Posted by:Fred

#1  The rebels really need to convey the strong message to Russia, that "You stop supporting Assad, or after we're in power, no Russian will ever set foot in Syria again!"

"If you stay neutral, we'll think about leasing you a Mediterranean port. But if you keep this crap up, you can forget it."
Posted by: Anonymoose   2012-01-15 09:55  

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