[Tacis]

Hey, that stuff was for the Olympics in Athens next year. If the authorities don't give it back, the terrorists will have to get more cash from the Saudis so the can replace the material that has been seized.

[lilylangtree]

Eventually ending up in the hands of the palis perhaps?

[ewing]

Or it was bound to load on the missing American Airlines 727 in Angola.

[DoctorMichael]

......Shipping sources said the Baltic Sky was reported to be coming out of the Black Sea and into the Mediterranean .......

Hmmmmmmm.........From the area this ship was leaving could this stuff have been purchased from Russian mafia types?

[Paul C. Jesup]

680 tonnes of explosives

That is enough explosives to level a small-to-medium sized country.

That is overkill in any type of terrorist attack. Even a the most diehard gun-nut or pyromaniac would say that is so much.

[ewing]

Greek Government spokesperson-" it seems it was en route to Africa. but be do not exactly know where. '

I would say it is a fairly good possibility to West Africa

[shaggy eel]

The government said the ship was bound for Africa but did not specify where.

,,, my $100's on Tripoli.

[Riley]

Hey! I know how we can get rid of the stuff...

FIRE IN THE HOLE! FIRE IN THE HOLE! FIRE IN THE HOLE!

"Captain, you're free to proceed.
EOD team, get to the bird and unass this AO."

[LurkedLongEnough]

More info:

Comoros, independent state comprising a group of islands at the northern entrance to the Mozambique Channel, between the African mainland and the island of Madagascar. Officially called the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, the republic includes three islands: Njazidja (formerly known as Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohéli), and Nzwani (Anjouan). Since the republic's independence in 1975, the fourth island in the Comoros Islands archipelago, Mayotte (Mahoré), has in two referenda chosen to remain a dependency of France. The republic has an area of 1,865 sq km (720 sq mi), while the Comoros Islands group (including Mayotte) has an area of 2,171 sq km (838 sq mi). The capital of the Comoros is Moroni.

Official Name -Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros
Capital City- Moroni
Languages- Arabic (official), French (official)

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm? Is this perhaps one of those mystery ships we heard do much about ...?? Curious how they found out about it?

[Angelus Errare]

Couple this with today's "work accident" in Mogadishu and the existence of the pro-Chechen Azeri al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Islami headed by Amir Badalov and Rovshan Kitab-Ogly and you can make a plausible case for this stuff heading for Somalia.

[cardinal4]

By tommorow this story will be buried.

[TN4Liberty]

Just for a reference point, that is 2/3 (0.68) of a kiloton. When people talk about small nukes, either as we might use them or as potential terrorist countries might use then, they need to realize that this massive amount of conventional explosives is only a fraction of the smallest of nukes.

[Lazamataz]

Greek Forces Find 680 Metric Tons of Explosives on Ship

Dammit people. That was mine. Give it back.

[Prodigal Son]

Nothing to see here folks. Continue shopping...

[Monty22]

Can anyone remember where that ship exploded during WW2 that leveled some port city? People reported seeing a nuke-like flash and some still wonder if it was a nuclear explosion on a ship that was heading towards Japan, but went off early.

[gitmogrunt]

Just my opinion, but I see a lot of giddy girlish posts, on this thread.

I guess nobody can say Good job to Greek special op's?

[randita]

Alpha Shipping. This:

Alpha Shipping Agency Ltd. was established in 1994. Since then company has developed to become one of the leading Shipping companies in Latvia.



    Alpha Shipping Agency Ltd. now is in the Top five of Latvian shipping agencies. Alpha Shipping Agency Ltd. has all possibilities to provide excelent service in Riga, Ventspils, Liepaja and Klaipeda ports.



    Since 1997 Alpha Shipping Agency Ltd. is member of The Baltic and International Maritime Council ( BIMCO ).

OR THIS:


Commerce has been and still is one of the most sought after activities in the Arab world and where else, other than that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, could envision, 35 years ago, a purely service orientated company, which would facilitate trade amongst companies from all over the world and the local merchant families. With this vision Alpha Trading & Shipping Agencies Ltd. was incepted by Mr. Abdulkader Mohammed Alfadl and the Ellinas brothers, Andreas and Michael, back in 1965.

Mr. Alfadl is the offspring of one of the pioneer merchant families of the young Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and together with the expertise and contacts of the Ellinas brothers formed Alpha Trading & Shipping Agencies Ltd. and have successfully achieved to make it one of the top 100 companies of the Kingdom. For the past several years, Mr. Alfadl, a prominent figure in the Saudi society, is the chairman of over 20 companies, all operating prosperously, in very diversified activities and he has been a long standing member of the Directors of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Al Jazirah Bank and the Saudi Cement Company.

[Archangelsk]

680 tonnes is nothing compared to some of the ladings that docked in Bremerhaven during the cold war, chances are the manifest and the rest of the documentation for this package are legal. And, yes, our ports and shipping lines, are a tremendous liability.

[csvset]

Terror probe into explosives ship

Monday, June 23, 2003 Posted: 0844 GMT ( 4:44 PM HKT)

The Baltic Sky is registered to a company based in Pacific Ocean nation of Marshall Islands. Story Tools

ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Officials in Greece are continuing to investigate whether the shipment of 680 tons of explosives through their territorial waters was intended for a terrorist organization.

Bomb experts started examining the cargo after the ship, Baltic Sky, was seized and escorted into the commercial port of Platigialio on Greece's west coast. The ship's seven crew were due to be questioned by a public prosecutor later on Monday, officials said.

Authorities were checking paperwork to see whether the cargo was registered as explosives or labeled as something else. The crew could face charges of violating maritime procedures, journalist Anthee Carassava told CNN.

"We need to check if the cargo is legal or if it was bound for any terrorism group," a Merchant Marine Ministry official told Reuters. Concerns have escalated around the world following recent bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

"The army's bomb squads are checking the explosives found on the ship and the crew members and the captain will go to the public prosecutor later today to testify."

The crew comprised five Ukrainian nationals, including the captain, and two Azeris.

Greek special forces, acting on a tip from an unnamed country, boarded and seized the ship as it sailed through Greek territorial waters on Sunday. The Greek coast guard escorted Baltic Sky into port.

The Comoros-flagged vessel is owned by Alpha Shipping, registered in the Marshall Islands.

Special forces boarded the ship when it entered Greek waters.

Greek officials would not reveal where the ship began its voyage or where it was believed to be bound. The nature of its cargo was described only as including 680 tons of explosives. No information was reported on what kind of explosives were on board.

The initial tip came from another country's intelligence and was cross-checked by Greek officials before the special forces boarded the vessel, Merchant Marines spokesman Panayotis Tsianos said.

Although it is not unusual for cargo ships to carry explosives, ships with the quantity aboard Baltic Sky are "extremely rare," he said.

One suspicious aspect, he said, was the fact that the Baltic Sky flew under the flag of Comoros. Some shipping companies use the Comoros as a so-called flag of convenience, to avoid taxes and other regulations, according to The Associated Press.

Comoros is a politically unstable island nation in the Mozambique Channel, off the coast of Africa, according to the CIA World Factbook.