Chariot: Russsian alleged arms ship to Gulf

The vessel long anchored and docked at Port Said has now turned on its AIS in the Persian Gulf

[January 12]The cargo ship MV Chariot, flying the St. Vincent and Grenadines flag, was en route from St. Petersburg to the Syrian port of Latakia carrying from 35 to 60 tons of ammunition and explosives meant for the Syrian Defense Ministry.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the ship carried a “dangerous cargo,” but did not elaborate. According to the documents, the cargo sender was the Russian state arms trader Rosoboronexport. “We have, as you know, asked for clarification from the Russian Federation. This was a subject of discussion with the Embassy. It was also raised by Deputy Secretary Burns when he was in Moscow,” Department of State Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.
“Our understanding is that the Russian side continues to look into who was responsible and what happened precisely,” she went on.

Shahid Qandi: second Mowj-class Frigate?

The Iranian Navy 'destroyer' Shahid Qandi has docked at Tartous, Syria.
Is this the first we have seen of the supposed new Mowj? Iran: The Construction of the 2nd Mowj by Shahid Tamjidi Marine Industries
The military naval order of battle identified on 18 March 2011 included:
1 x Mowj Class Frigate (under construction)

Ekaterinburg-K-84: A-warhead R-29 missiles aboard

The respected Vlast weekly magazine quoted several sources in the Russian navy as saying that throughout the fire on 29 December the submarine was carrying 16 R-29 intercontinental ballistic missiles, each armed with four nuclear warheads.

"Russia, for a day, was on the brink of the biggest catastrophe since the time of Chernobyl," Vlast reported. The 1986 disaster in modern-day Ukraine is regarded as the world's worst nuclear accident. back
R-29 Vysota[1] is a family of Russian submarine-launched ballistic missiles, designed by State Rocket Center Makayev. Development of the R-29 SLBMs started in the 1963 and was first launched in 1969[citation needed]. It uses the storable Liquid rocket propellants N2O4/UDMH. Over time different versions have developed listed below. The R-29 is in use with Russian Navy on Delta I, Delta II, Delta III and Delta IV class submarine.
The R-29 can be equipped with nuclear warheads, The R-29 is a two-stage missile storable liquid-propellant, without an interstage section, carrying a single warhead.
The missile had an aluminium magnesium alloy body with integrated fuel tanks. The first stage sustainer and the second stage propulsion system are located inside the fuel tanks, thus reducing the external dimensions of the missile.
The conical blunt shaped re-entry vehicle was also located in the second stage fuel tank, oriented opposite to the flight direction.
The guidance section is located in the conical area of the compartment where the warhead is usually placed.
The propulsion systems of both stages consists of a single-chamber main rocket engine, and dual-chamber control engines with moveable chambers.
The R-29 was the first Soviet SLBM to use a digital computer and an azimuthal stellar monitoring system for improved high accuracy and in-flight course correction.
With a launching weight of 33.3 tons the R-29 missile was capable of delivering a 1,100 kg reentry vehicle to a maximum range of 7800 km, three times greater than the R-27 missile. Thus its patrolling zones were substantially enlarged. According to Western estimates in the 1970s, the SS-N-8 was capable of delivering a 1400-lb reentry vehicle with a 0.6-1.5 MT warhead a distance of 4200 nm with a CEP of approximately 0.5 nm.
The R-29 was equipped with ballistic missile defense countermeasures. Decoys were carried in a cylindrical container in the fuel tank of the second stage, and released during nose cone separation.

Free Goddess:hjacked Varouxakis ship off Dhinooda

UKMTO received a call from the CSO of Free Goddess stating that he could not contact the vessel. The Free Goddess was en route from Adabiya, Egypt to Singapore, carrying 19,475 mt of steel cable with a crew of 21 Filipinos on board. The vessel is not responding to any calls. UKMTO Dubai also administers the Voluntary Reporting Scheme, under which merchant vessels are encouraged to send regular reports, providing their position/course/speed and ETA at their next port whilst transiting the region bound by Suez, 78°E and 10°S. UKMTO Dubai subsequently tracks vessels and the positional information is passed to CMF and EU headquarters.
9107045 FREE GODDESS A8UM4 Bulker 22051 1995
CEO Ion Varouxakis founded FreeSeas in 2004
Ion G. Varouxakis
Chairman of the Board
of Directors, Chief Executive Officer and President FreeSeas, Inc.
Piraeus , GR
Sector: SERVICES / Shipping
Officer since January 2006
39 Years Old
Ion G. Varouxakis is one of our founders and is the Chairman of our board of directors. He also serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer. In 2003, Mr. Varouxakis founded Free Bulkers, the beginning of a single-vessel, self-financed entrepreneurial venture that led to FreeSeas founding and NASDAQ listing in 2005.
Under Mr. Varouxakis? leadership, FreeSeas has grown to be a leader in the Handysize and Handymax segment in the U.S. capital market. Prior to founding Free Bulkers, Mr. Varouxakis held since 1997 management positions in private shipping companies operating in the drybulk sector.
Mr. Varouxakis holds a candidature degree in law from the Catholic University of Saint Louis in Brussels and a bachelor of science degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Mr. Varouxakis is a member of the Hellenic Committee of the Korean Register of Shipping and is an officer of the reserves of the Hellenic Army. Mr. Varouxakis is the brother of Alexis Varouxakis, our Secretary.
Compensation for 2006
Salary $150,000.00
Bonus $0.00
Restricted stock awards $0.00
All other compensation $0.00
Option awards $ $0.00
Non-equity incentive plan compensation $0.00
Change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings $0.00
Total Compensation $150,000.00

FreeSeas Frees Up Cash For Acquisitions 03.24.09
FreeSeas has secured waivers on its debt and refinanced an existing credit facility, and with its newfound financial freedom, it wants to do some bottom feeding.
FreeSeas (nasdaq: FREE - news - people ) Chief Executive Ion Varouxakis made a bullish call on the dry-bulk market, saying the waivers on $153.0 million in debt will allow it to take advantage of plunging asset values in the market. The company also refinanced the existing credit facility for its vessel the Free Maverick. "These modifications to our loan agreements, coupled with recent charter announcements, have provided FreeSeas with a greater level of operational and financial flexibility," said Ion Varouxakis.
"To a lesser extent, we believe these waivers position us for growth as we see unprecedented opportunities for acquisitions at current market prices."
FreeSeas is taking a more aggressive stance than its rival Diana Shipping, which last month said it would wait until asset values dropped further before jumping into any acquisitions.
Meanwhile, FreeSeas said it agreed with Hollandsche Bank - Unie N.V. to refinance a balloon payment of $27.1 million due Aug. 1 on the loan for its ship Free Maverick. The balloon payment will be replaced by a new three and a half year facility, which is payable through 13 quarterly installments of $600,000 beginning on Aug. 1, and one installment of $19.3 million payable on Nov. 1, 2012, the company said.
Home port: Monrovia Class society: Bureau Veritas Build year: 1995 Builder*: Saiki Heavy Industries Saiki, Japan
Owner: Freeseas - Athens, Greece
Manager: Free Bulkers - Athens, Greece

Former name(s):
- Bbc Barranquilla (Until 2007 Oct 31)
- Barranquilla (Until 2006 Nov 17)
- Ubc Barranquilla (Until 2004 May 05)
- Bernes (Until 2001 Nov 19)

ex-ArcticSea, Chariot: alleged arms ships along side

Shelley Express Info Received: 0d 15h 47min ago at 3:20pm February 14(GMT) now on AIS
Chariot info Received: 4d 13h 56min ago at 3:22pmf February 14(GMT)now off AIS
2012-02-07 10:40 Chariot now docked in Port Said, to AIS at 2012-02-10. Shelley Express still off the air.
Shelley Express, ex-Arctic Sea, and Chariot, both alleged russian-controlled ships allegedly arms carriers in the past, were outside Port Said, Egypt, February 7 or were before they went off AIS within ten minutes of each other.

SHELLEY EXPRESS IMO: 8912792, Latitude / Longitude: 31.34497° / 32.29851° Info Received: 1d 5h 28min ago at 3:07pm Tuesday (GMT) back

CHARIOT IMO: 8302882, Latitude / Longitude: 31.35667° / 32.323° Info Received: 1d 5h 39min ago at 3:11pm Tuesday (GMT) back

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, current head of the Gulf Cooperation Council, announced that the GCC states have decided to withdraw all their ambassadors from Syria and also demand that all ambassadors of the Syrian regime in its lands leave immediately," said the six-member council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Chariot: Arms Ship Off AIS for 60 hours

The SVG-flag, Russian-owned arms ship Chariot passing Crete into the Levantine Sea went off AIS -- Info Received: 1d 13h 35min ago [as of 01:53:21 PM GMT 02/05/2012].
Back on February 6 near Port Said, Egypt

[February 6]And in an apparent swipe at Russian arms shipments to Syria, Clinton said, “We will work to expose those who are still funding the regime and sending it weapons
“We don't supply firearms and what we supply is not used in the conflict,” Lavrov added. Russia’s arms supplies to Syria will not affect the balance of power in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on February 4.
The cargo ship MV Chariot, flying the St. Vincent and Grenadines flag, was en route from St. Petersburg to the Syrian port of Latakia carrying from 35 to 60 tons of ammunition and explosives meant for the Syrian Defense Ministry. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the ship carried a “dangerous cargo,” but did not elaborate. According to the documents, the cargo sender was the Russian state arms trader Rosoboronexport. “We have, as you know, asked for clarification from the Russian Federation. This was a subject of discussion with the Embassy. It was also raised by Deputy Secretary Burns when he was in Moscow,” Department of State Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said. “Our understanding is that the Russian side continues to look into who was responsible and what happened precisely,” she went on. novisti

A well-placed source has confirmed to the BBC that it [Chariot] was carrying tons of ammunition destined for the Syrian security forces.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in Bulgaria, called February 5 for "friends of democratic Syria" to unite and rally against President Bashar Assad's regime, previewing the possible formation of a formal group of likeminded nations to coordinate assistance to the Syrian opposition.
"So we should begin thinking about what we can do, particularly with the Arab League,"Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Panetta were a prime attraction at the Munich Security Conference,February 4, an annual gathering of European and American national security officials and experts. The two spoke to an audience that included... Senators John Kerry, John McCain and Joseph I. Lieberman; and numerous defense and foreign ministers from Europe.
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman said. "I think it begins with support for the Syrian Free Army."
[February 5]Clinton told reporters after meeting top Bulgarian officials. Such a group could be similar, but not identical, to the Contact Group on Libya, which oversaw international help for opponents of the late deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. However, in the case of Libya, the group also coordinated NATO military operations to protect Libyan civilians, something that is not envisioned in Syria. back

Chariot: SVG-flag arms ship heading to Levant?

Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said an embargo on arms supplies to Syria is out of the question – along with any resolution that could threaten to aggravate conflict in the country.

Churkin, speaking to journalists via video link, spoke out strongly against a possible arms embargo on Syria, citing some countries' refusal to condemn the armed groups operating there, and the continued risk of weapons supplies reaching these groups despite any ban.

THE Syrian port of Tartus is Russia’s only military base outside the old Soviet Union.Russia's dilemma is that too much support for Mr Assad risks a future regime booting it out of Tartus, which is valued by Russian spooks and electronic snoopers. But too little may mean defeat for an old ally.

The Iranian embassy in Ankara denied on January 12 that four trucks seized by Turkish customs were carrying military equipment from Iran to Syria. The trucks were confiscated on January 10 in Turkey's southeast province of Kilis at the Öncüpınar border crossing into Syria.

EU legislation
In response to the violent repression by Syrian government forces, the EU orignally imposed sanctions on Syria which came into force with immediate effect on 10 May 2011. The sanctions were originally detailed in Council Decision 2011/273/CFSP (published in the Official Journal of the European Union L121, 10.4.2011, p11) and Council Regulation (EU) No 442/2011 (published in the Official Journal of the European Union, L121, 10.4.2011, p1), now repealed.

These sanctions have since been consolidated and updated by new restrictive measures announced in Council Decision 2011/782/CFSP (published in the Official Journal of the European Union L319, 2.12.2011, p56). This Decision came into force on 1 December 2011. The EU have also subsequently published implementing legislation in Council Regulation (EU) No 36/2012. This Regulation specifies items that are prohibited in relevant annexes.

The measures include an arms embargo, an asset freeze and a travel ban against specified individuals. They also include a prohibition on internet and telephone communications items and oil and gas goods and technology. Chariot earlier
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Chariot: Russian-owned vessel back in Aegean

After a dash for Russian waters, the vessel turned around and is past Izmir headed towards Turkey again. Chariot’s captain earlier confirmed the ship had arrived in Turkey from Tartus, Syria. Sources said last week in Cyprus at least 35 tons of munitions and explosive material were discovered and in Turkey that the vessel contained a cargo of bullets. Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said his country is not violating any international obligations by selling weapons to Damascus. "As of today there are no restrictions on our delivery of weapons," he told journalists in Russia, according to the country's state news agencies. "We must fulfill our obligations and this is what we are doing." "I found him relaxed and sure. He is confident in the Russian position," Wahhab told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar in an interview with Assad in Damascus published February 2. back

Berge Everest: Vale China Chess Game

China's ban on large ships is limited to Vale's giant iron ore vessels, shipping sources said on Thursday, clearing up confusion in the maritime community as to whether new government regulations could cover other smaller ships.

"Everyone knows that China can change its mind very fast. It's a game of chess between China and Vale," said Hans Navik here

Traders say they believe Beijing will gradually lift the ban on large vessels since it would allow Vale to deliver iron ore more cheaply and give Chinese steelmakers room to negotiate lower prices. "If steel prices remain low this year, at the end of the day they have to look for cheap iron ore which Vale will be able to supply,"

In the eyes of many domestic industry players, the arrival and unloading of the Berge Everest signaled clear government support for Vale’s ambitious proposal to expand in China and rejection of the trade groups’ arguments. One source said they were right.
Vale apparently got around the bureaucracy in December by using the Berge Everest, a carrier owned by a Singapore company but leased to the Brazilian mining concern, to deliver ore.

Berge Bulk (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
9 Raffles Place
Republic Plaza #54-03
Singapore 048619

“After the successful berthing of the Berge Everest, it will be relatively easy for the Valemax fleet to berth here, too,” a longtime iron ore trader who works with Vale told Caixin. here
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