Royal Navy patrols close to Iraq

ITV ^ | October 18 2002

[knighthawk]

As tension in the Gulf continues, ITV News has learned that the Royal Navy is operating just four miles from the coast of Iraq - closer than ever before - to enforce tough new rules on oil smuggling.

In the last few months Royal Marines have boarded 100 vessels and seized illegal oil worth more than £1 million.

HMS Argyll is patrolling Iraq's main route to the open sea and ITV News Defence Correspondent Kevin Dunn has been on board to file an exclusive report.

The Royal Navy frigate, along with American and Australian warships, is enforcing a blockade of Iraq's only gateway to the sea.

The Navy's job is to check each of the ships in the area to determine that they are who they say they are and that their cargo - or intended cargo - is not in breach of UN resolutions. Every vessel, from Arab dows to merchant ships to oil tankers is logged for inspection.

The USS Fletcher, an American destroyer, is co-ordinating the operation and the allies believe they have reduced illegal oil traffic to a trickle.

Captain Peter Sinclair of the Royal Australian Navy said that is because the Royal Navy is operating deeper inside Iraqi territorial waters than ever before.

Captain Sinclair told ITV News:"We don't let anything past. Every single ship that goes in or out of Iraq is boarded to ensure that it is complying with the Resolution 986 sanctions and we push as far into the territorial waters as we possibly can."

Of the ships in the area some are suspected of being Iraqi spy ships which are monitoring the Navy's operation. Others are believed to be oil smugglers.

Captain John Kingwell of HMS Argyll said: "The message is clear, if you're in Iraq and you're attempting to smuggle illegal cargos, United Nations forces will detect you, track you, board you and send you back."

There are now five warships blockading Iraq and the waters are more heavily policed that at any time since the Gulf War.

[knighthawk]

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