Iran launches new missile boat

Commander of the Iranian Army's Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyarisaid on 29 Sep that Iran's new Sina-class missile-launching frigates enjoy the most advanced systems and equipment. Iran claims Sina has more than a hundred radar, artillery, electronic and telecommunication systems and is also equipped with modern navigation systems.

The web is more reserved:
Iran purchased 12 Combattante II missile boats from France, seeing them delivered between 1974 and 1981. These 275 ton displacement boats, officially named Kaman in Iranian service, have a top speed of 37.5 knots. They represented some of Iran's most modern vessels of Western origin. Two were lost in combat, one to Iraqi forces in 1980 and another to US forces in 1988.

The main armament of these ships was in the form of a four round missile launcher and a 76mm OTO-Melara automatic cannon. The anti-ship missiles were originally the RGM-84 Harpoon, but have since been replaced by the locally produced Noor, a license produced copy of the Chinese C-802 missile.

These missile boats remained an important part of the Iranian naval forces as of 2008, and had led to earlier developments announced in 2003 to develop a locally produced version. The first of these Sina Class missile boats, essentially locally produced Iranian versions of the Kaman, standard with C-802 missiles and an improved fire control radar, entered service in 2006. Iran had two of these boats in service by 2008, with another in production[now launched]. These boats appear identical to the modified Kamans with the exception of the radar radome.

Master shot dead: Pirates scared away by rescue

MV Barwaaqo attacked in Mogadishu, Somalia: "We send police when commercial ships draw near the port but the pirates were already on board and opened fire injuring one policeman but were eventually scared away by a rescue effort."

Arctic Sea: a floating object?

Viktor Matveyev, Solchart Finland, the reputed manager of the Arctic Sea claims on its website that this statement comes from Las Palmas. Gran Canaria:

The free translation of the Port Captain decision.

1) vessel has Russian Military armed on board

2) Vessel is custody by the Russian Army units out of Spanish
territorial waters, its mean that vessel has been taken by this authority as
the Malta state does not recover their protection.

3) Due to the previous 2nd paragraph, the flag state control ( Malta) must foce the vessel to comply with the article 94 (bargain of unit nations) agreed in Montego Bay Dec. 10th 1.982. and specially in what respect to the security of the persons on board, navigation and see waters medium. Due to that and taking in consideration that vessel has not flag state and did not comply with other mentioned requisites, we do not consider to Artic Sea like a merchant vessel but like a floating object taken by the foreign naval army.

In view of that, the Port Captain does not authorize the navigation of
Arctic Sea in Spanish sea waters.

Sounds like Viktor Matveyev is preparing his defense against Finnish/Baltic Powers charges

Panama-flagged BARWAAQO's Master Dead

SOMALI pirates yesterday killed a Syrian master who refused to divert from his planned course after they boarded the ship close to Mogadishu. Three crew members were also injured in a subsequent shoot-out. The Somali-owned ship Panama-flag BARWAAQO was carrying shipment from Dubai.

* Name: BARWAAQO
* MMSI: 353219000
* IMO: 7229411
Year Built: 1972
DeadWeight: 7849 t
Speed recorded (Max / Average): 8.2 / 5.8 knots
* Call sign: 3FTR6
* Flag: Panama


Vessel's Names Flag Call Sign Last Recorded
BARWAAQO Panama 3FTR6 2009-09-09 01:37
EAST CASTLE St Vincent Grenadines J8B2837 2009-04-05 01:31

EAST CASTLE, Varna 18-02-2006
IMO:7229411
Built:1972,Hollming Oy,Rauma, Finland
DWT:7849
RT:5492
Ivan Gorthon-81
Agios Mattheos-88
Marika-89
Blue Stone-03

Arctic Sea: 'evidence' transferred to 'warship'

Gray vessel, possibly part of the bunkering fleet of the Laskaridis family in Eastern Europe
IMAN - Bitumen Tanker - Ex:Dalnerechensk. Build: 1986 Rauma-Repola. 6,237 dwt. Owners: Laskarides Shipping

...or maybe Russian military tanker, 'warship'

Item: Viktor Matveev, the director of Solchart Management which owns the Arctic Sea, told Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda on Tuesday that the Port Authority of Las Palmas did not allow the cargo ship to enter the harbour because 11 Russian military men were on the vessel.
However, according to an Interfax source in Russian law enforcement bodies, the Arctic Sea has been denied access to the port because it has not paid the necessary fees to the Spanish maritime authorities.

“The fact that the military are on board plays no role in this case. A vessel is only considered as having a military status if it carries the flag of a certain country,”

Solchart website Finland: " The vessel has to be securely exploited by the specialists (11 navy sailors do not pose to be these specialists) of the crew size not less than that indicated in the Minimum Crew Certificate, granted by the Flag Administration."

Arctic Sea: 'Evidence' off-loaded to military tanker

The Russian Navy's Iman tanker will deliver material evidence from the Arctic Sea vessel to the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk in October, a high-ranking military official said on Sep. 21. "The arrival of the warship [Finnish built Aksay type tanker] in the port of Novorossiisk is scheduled for mid-October."

6617427 IMAN Tanker 4471 1966 Russia

DNo: 6617427 Year: 1966
Name: IMAN Launch Date: 3.6.66
Type: Tanker Date of completion:
Flag: RUS Keel:
Tons: 3359 Link: 1875
DWT: 4400 Yard No: 155
Length overall: 105.1 Ship Design:
LPP: 96.9 Country of build: FIN
Beam: 14.8 Builder: Rauma-Repola
Material of build: Location of yard: Rauma

Item: The 'company representative' from the management of Solchart in Finland that was denied access to the Arctic Sea off the Canaries, was Russian-based 'the shipping company’s representative from Solchart’s office in Arkhangelsk.'

Item: At last report, Solchart never filed an insurance claim. "At this point, there is, fortunately, no need to file an insurance claim because we still do not know where the ship and its crew are located," the official said without disclosing the amount the vessel was insured for.

Arctic Sea: nature of the cargo was the key

Las Palmas harbour master, under instruction from the Spanish government, rejected the request," of the Arctic Sea and its tug to dock. A Spanish diplomat admitted that the nature of the cargo was the key question in talks between Spain and Russia. "The ship's cargo is the most important aspect of the negotiations. It is not just about bureaucratic procedures involving the entrance of a ship into Spanish waters," the diplomat said.