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UPDATE: Nothing Illegal Found on Alleged Weapon-Smuggling Ship Bound for Syria

Published Apr 26, 2012 10:29 AM by The Maritime Executive

Correction: The initial report of this article incorrectly stated that the ATLANTIC CRUISER was a Bermuda-flagged vessel. The ATLANTIC CRUISER is in fact an Antigua and Barbuda flagged vessel. 

The German freighter that has been stirring up controversy surrounding weapons smuggling claims has been confirmed as civilian. Bound for Syria, the ship cleared an inspection in Turkey; no weapons were found onboard.

A Syrian opposition group, One Syreansea, ignited claims last week that the vessel was carrying heavy weapons and munitions for Syria, violating an EU arms embargo.

The Turkish foreign ministry informed the German government that the inspection of the cargo of the Atlantic Cruiser had been completed and the Turkish authorities did not find any weapons or munitions for Syria on board the ship.

The ship was instead carrying 31 tons of seismographic blasting caps used in searching for gas and oil in rock destined for Bar in Montenegro, according to the Cruiser's owner Bockstiegel. Their company records showed that the goods to be unloaded in Syria were components for the construction of a thermal power station.

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A cargo ship suspected of transporting a weapons and ammunition cargo to Syria has docked at the Mediterranean Iskenderun port in Turkey to be thoroughly searched, after United Nations’ threats to change its course. The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the ship had docked, but could not confirm whether there were weapons on board the vessel.

The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Atlantic Cruiser is German-owned. The country was investigating claims this week that the ship was initially headed to Syria to deliver Iranian weapons, which would breach an arms embargo.

According to Reuters, German shipping company W. Bockstiegel, which owns the Atlantic Cruiser, ordered the vessel on Monday to turn its transponder back on after the ship switched off the tracking system because its crew feared attack. The ship owners had no information regarding whether there were weapons on the ship.

White Whale Shipping, the Ukrainian company that chartered the Atlantic Cruiser has denied there were arms on board and said its cargo was civilian goods. Sending weapons to Syria would be in violation of a European Union arms embargo.

Other news reports claim that the ship had loaded its cargo in Djibouti and changed course for Turkey only when the cargo was at risk of being uncovered. The ship docked about 50 miles southwest of the Syrian port of Tartus, its original destination.

On the other hand, W. Bockstiegel insists that the goods were loaded on the ship in Mumbai and the vessel was destined for Syria, but also Turkey and Montenegro. Only an alleged portion of the goods were off-loaded at Djibouti and no new goods were taken on board there, according to the shipping company. Crew members inspected the top of the cargo that could be opened and found only cable drums and tubes. However, the German government has said there are still unanswered questions regarding the ship's cargo.

Sanctions imposed on the government of the controversial Syrian President Bashar al-Assad include an arms embargo and a ban on importing Syrian oil into the European Union.