flying under the flags of three different countries
France, Germany and Russia?
- "Croatia searchs ship carrying explosives allegedly bound for Iraq," AFP via spacedaily.com, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/021025170021.cs4byrg4.html. Oct 25, 2002
ZAGREB (AFP) Croatian police continued to search Friday a cargo ship on which they had seized smuggled military explosives, which according to local media reports were allegedly bound for Iraq. The twelve crew members of the Boka Star, who are Yugoslav citizens, are still being held at the ship, the interior ministry said in a statement. The search of the Boka Star, sailing under the Tonga island flag, started immediately after it sailed into the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka on Tuesday after police acted upon a tip. So far, police have searched eight of a total of 14 containers on the ship and found military explosive devices. Police said that their investigation will seek to determine all the circumstances relating to the Boka Star and its cargo, including the ship's exact route, final destination and owners of the cargo.
Croatian media reported that the explosives found on the Boka Star, allegedly owned by a Montenegrin citizen, Marko Balic, were bound for Iraq. Croatian media also speculated that the search of the ship might be linked with recent discoveries of sales of fighter aircraft spare parts made by a Bosnian Serb company to Iraq in violation of a United Nations arms embargo.
The reports said that the shipments of aircaft parts to Iraq were routed through the Montenegrin port of Bar, from which the Boka Star had sailed out before entering Croatia's territorial waters. Croatia's interior ministry said that the search of the Boka Star could be concluded as soon as on Saturday.