Irish owner ordered me to Greece, says 'A-bomb' skipper

Online IE ^ | June 25 2003

[knighthawk]

For weeks, the creaky Balkan Sky, loaded with more than 600 tons of explosives, languished off the Turkish coast waiting for orders to set sail for Sudan with tons of explosives.

Then came a telex from the ship's Irish owner: forget Africa and divert the cargo to a remote Greek port.

But Ukrainian skipper Anatolia Baltic claimed today he and his crew had no idea they were breaking the law when they sailed into Greek waters and straight into a team of waiting commandos – who had been tipped off about the ship's movements by a Nato anti-terrorist task force.

A Greek minister described the vessel as a floating "atomic bomb."

"I didn't think I was doing something illegal," Baltic said of the vessel's nearly six-week odyssey. "It didn't even cross my mind that terrorism was an issue."

Baltic's chronology – given after a nearly 90 minute hearing before an investigating magistrate – could answer some lingering questions about the ship and its cargo. But new mysteries also emerged.

Baltic said he had no explanation for the detour to Greece and believed the owners had notified Greek authorities of the new course.

"The ship owner is responsible for everything," Baltic said.

That explanation, however, was not enough for Magistrate Alga Arslanoglu. After a closed-door hearing, Baltak and his crew of four Ukrainians and two Azerbaijanis were ordered jailed pending a full investigation.

"Neither the ship managers nor the ship owners have appeared until this moment to tell us what they want or even tell us who they are," Merchant Marine Minister Giorgos Anomeritis said.

The crew faces charges of entering Greek territorial waters without informing officials of the load of 680 tons of ammonium nitrate-based explosives and detonators. The Baltic Sky, which took the cargo May 12 in Tunisia, was seized on Sunday.

"There will be a judicial investigation about the strange behaviour of this ship," Anomeritis said. "I believe at some point these questions will be answered."

Baltak identified the vessel's "real owners" as Cristian McNulty of Ireland. Shipping documents say the vessel is controlled by a company in the tiny Pacific Island nation of Marshall Islands.

Several maritime sources, including the authoritative Lloyd's List, have linked McNulty with a Sligo, Ireland-based company, Unithorn Ltd, which is listed as the ship's manager.

Attempts to reach McNulty or Unithorn have been unsuccessful.

Money, or the lack of it, has emerged as a possible reason for the ship's strange course – with the ship's owner or manager perhaps holding out for more cash to deliver the cargo, some officials speculated.

Tunisia said the ship was legally loaded and Sudan gave Greece paperwork showing the cargo was ordered by a legitimate firm. The company claims the explosives are for industrial use and wants them returned.

Baltak said he took command of the ship in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 3 and had documents for the explosives. He had papers showing the cargo was for a Sudanese company.

He said he anchored the ship in the Dardanelles strait near the Aegean Sea to await orders on when to sail for Sudan.

On June 20, telex orders came to instead head for the little-used Ionian Sea port of Astakos, about 145 miles north-west of Athens. When the ship was spotted entering the Aegean Sea, Nato warned the Greeks. It was boarded off Astakos two days later.

:: The vessel was reportedly arrested in a British harbour earlier this year.

While held in Seaham, Co Durham, in January, the Sea Runner, as it was then called, was sold at auction for £22,000 (€3,814).

The crew had not been paid because of the mounting fines on the owners.

After minor repairs, it sailed from Seaham in March with a new name and flag: the Baltic Sky under the colours of the Indian Ocean state of Comoros, which openly advertises itself as an "Islamic flag of convenience".

[knighthawk]

Ping

[knighthawk]

http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=33899&pt=n

Irish boss denies explosives ship link

A director of a company linked to the seizure of an explosives-laden ship off the coast of Greece denied today he had done anything wrong.

Niall Brady, of Co Cavan in the Irish Republic, said he was totally innocent and was shocked to hear his name mentioned in connection with the Baltic Sky.

He spoke out as the captain and crew of the ship - which was stormed by Greek police on Sunday - were brought before a Greek court.

The Baltic Sky`s huge cargo of explosives raised terrorist fears when it was seized by commandos.

Mr Brady said today: ``I have no involvement in that and I am totally innocent.

``I am in contact with a solicitor at the moment to try and sort this mess out.``

He said he had no further comment to make on the matter and would not confirm his connection with an Irish firm which reportedly manages the vessel.

According to Lloyd`s List - an authoritative source on shipping issues - the boat was managed by Unithorn Limited, which has an address in Sligo.

Unithorn was incorporated at Ireland`s Companies Registration Office in 1999, and Pearse Christian McNulty, of Co Sligo, and Niall Brady were listed as directors.

The current owner of the ship is listed as Alpha Shipping Inc, based in the tiny Pacific Ocean nation of Marshall Islands.

Lloyd`s List reported that a Christian McNulty ``openly told maritime sources`` that he was the main shareholder of Alpha.

The Irish Times said today that Mr Brady, 26, was shocked to see his name mentioned in connection with the Baltic Sky.

He told the newspaper he knew nothing about the matter and was just a ``secondary director`` and investor in the company.

It was reported that he and several others had invested in the company after responding to advertisements in the business papers.

He said he received no return on his investments and had been unable to contact Mr McNulty for a number of months.

Greece`s marine minister Giorgos Anomeritis described the vessel as a ``floating atomic bomb`` after its cargo of 680 tons of ammonium nitrate-based explosives was seized.

Mr Anomeritis said the ship`s owner had not yet come forward.

A special Nato anti-terrorism task force had raised an international alert about the Baltic Sky weeks earlier, but the ship mostly remained in international waters until crossing Greece`s boundary.

The ship`s crew claimed it was bound for a company in Sudan, but the vessel wandered at sea for nearly six weeks as international authorities grew suspicious.

The cargo was loaded in Tunisia on May 12, but the ship then travelled to Istanbul, Turkey, the Black Sea and back into the Mediterranean. The reason for the detours has not been publicly explained.

Its crew - five Ukrainians and two Azerbaijanis - now face charges of entering Greek waters without announcing the hazardous cargo.

A hearing which began today is investigating allegations that the crew entered Greek territorial waters without informing officials of the load.

[Diogenesis]

The Captain and crew should have to walk the plank.

After their executions, perhaps this will happen less often.

[cabbieguy]

Is this the "mystery ship" that was supposedly carrying Sadam's WMD? If not does anyone have any updates on that ship?

[Naspino]

Typical of someone that lived under Soviet rule -- just do what you're told .

[Incorrigible]

Hey HappyGal!

Looks like those Irish are up to more mischief!

[knighthawk]

No, this ship was bound for Sudan. Or so they say.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,984358,00.html

The Greek seizure of an explosive-laden ship bound for Sudan prompted heated exchanges between the two countries yesterday.
Khartoum insisted that the cargo of 680 tonnes of high explosives and an estimated 140,000 detonators, loaded in Tunisia, had purely civilian use. Its foreign minister, Mustafa Ismail, accused Athens of ordering the seizure of the Baltic Sky on Sunday before knowing "all the facts".

Mr Ismail, whose country has been accused by the US of supporting terrorists, said the shipment had been commissioned by a registered company in Khartoum with the blessing of his ministry.

The industrial-grade ammonium nitrates were to be used by cement factories and road-building companies, he said. He told the Greek ambassador that Greece had acted in haste.

But Greece, keen to shore up its image before the 2004 Olympics and on high security alert during its months as EU president, rejected Mr Ismail's assertion.

Officials said the vessel's long and unwieldy course - six weeks in the Mediterranean and Black sea - had raised the suspicion of western intelligence agencies and Nato's anti-terrorist taskforce.

The arrested crew - five Ukrainians and two Azerbaijanis - could be jailed for up to 20 years for illegally transporting explosives.

The vessel, flying the flag of the Comoros Islands, has been impounded in Platiyali, in north-west Greece, and yesterday experts began removing its hazardous cargo.

[SevenDaysInMay]

A 007 sweet talk?

[Dog]

Just did a little research it seems Mr. Cristian or Christian McNulty has three ships registered in his name..

The Tamara.....Baltic Star and The Lenox.

McNulty has a company in Ireland called Unithorn Ltd. I have come across the name Pierce Patrick McNulty think it could be an alias.

[Brett66]

Why do they keep labelling this as an atomic bomb? It's just a (potential) firecracker compared to what a real nuke is capable of.

[Dog]

I found the Baltic Star it is sitting in the Port of Antwerp in Belgium for outstanding fines owed by the owner.

Click here..

[Dog]

I have been told this equals the explosive power of a 1 kiloton(sp) nuke..

[dljordan]

It's just more 'Look what we did, aren't we brave?' rhetoric that you get from officials anywhere. What I would like to know is what KIND of high explosive? Is it industrial? Military? What's the deal? It kind of sounds like these guys were set up. I'm not saying they're innocent of previous wrongdoing, there's a lot of shady cargos floating around out there.

[Tacis]

Simple explanation, these are just some supplies for the 2004 Olympics in Athens that some Saudi funded colleagues of the IRA and other European groups want to preposition for efficiency's sake.

[Walkingfeather]

I'm no Nuclear scientist nor do I play one on tv, but I think the atomic yeilds are less than that of a nuclear sparkler....

[Camel Joe]

Imagine a bomb that weighs 1,360,000 lbs, or in metric thats 616 tonnes, and 617,000 kg. Park that puppy in any port next to a few oil tankers and you would think that the end of the world was here. Firecracker indeed!!!

[VadeRetro]

I have been told this equals the explosive power of a 1 kiloton(sp) nuke..

Nope. If it were TNT, it would be .68 kiloton. However, the article identifies ammonium nitrate-based explosives. These are likely to have a lower yield than TNT, so it's probably under half a kiloton.

[river rat]

Is it just me....but there seems to be a number of instances where citizens of the "Irish Republic" have been tangled in with various Islamist desperados?

Here again, we have exposives, detonators -- with some thin attachment (and denial) from a very young Irishman...

Perhaps the IRA is exporting supplies and expertise to the Islamists....

If true ---- the IRA should officially join the worldwide list of terrorists..

Wouldn't Clinton and Kennedy just love that!

Semper Fi

[Dog]

But it would still kill thousands if it was anchored in a port.