Arr! Now US Navy Says Tanks Bound For South Sudan

This means that a US-owned ship was transporting Ukrainian tanks to a country under a UN arms embargo with help from Kenya. Now the Ukrainian Defense Ministry claims they didn't know where the tanks were going! Hey guys, next time you ship tanks without a naval escort, don't send them through pirate-infested waters. Send them the long way around Africa.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5igGmlfz-K3g6EyC2vN8yK10vpCugD93GEARO0

US circles hijacked ship with Sudan-bound weapons

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN and BARBARA SURK – 1 hour ago

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — U.S. warships and helicopters on Monday surrounded a hijacked cargo ship loaded with Sudan-bound tanks and other arms to keep the weapons from falling "into the wrong hands," an American Navy spokesman said.

Lt. Nathan Christensen, a deputy spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said the shipment of 33 Russian-designed tanks, rifles and ammunition on the Ukrainian-operated Faina was headed for Sudan — not Kenya as previously claimed by Kenyan officials. The U.N. has imposed an embargo on arms destined for the Sudanese region of Darfur, to be observed by the government, allied paramilitary units known as the janjaweed, and the rebels.

A 5th Fleet statement said the ship was headed for the Kenyan port of Mombassa, but that "additional reports state the cargo was intended for Sudan."

The pirates who seized the ship are demanding a $20 million ransom.

The U.S. fears the armaments onboard the Ukrainian vessel may end up with al-Qaida-linked Islamic insurgents who have been fighting the shaky U.N.-backed Somali transitional government since late 2006.

"We maintain a vigilant watch over the ship and we will remain on station while negotiations between the pirates and the shipping company are going on," Christensen told The Associated Press.

Pirates seized the Faina's Ukrainian, Russian and Latvian crew off Somalia's lawless coast on Thursday as it headed to Kenya and anchored the vessel off Somalia's coast near the central town of Hobyo. One crew member has died.

Christensen did not specify whether the arms were intended for the Khartoum-based Sudanese government, or southern Sudan, which was granted a degree of autonomy under a 2005 peace deal that also guaranteed the oil-rich region a referendum on full independence in 2011.

The administration in southern Sudan and the Sudanese government are not covered by the 2005 arms embargo, provided imported weapons do not end up in Darfur.

Kenyan officials on Monday declined to discuss the destination of the weapons. Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Valentyn Mandriyevsky said the ministry was not dealing in weapons trade and didn't know where the cargo was bound.

A spokesman for Ukraine's arms trader, Ukrspetexport, had no immediate comment.

Western intelligence reports a few days ago said the ultimate destination was Sudan and that Kenya was only the transshipment point, said one Western official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing classified material. He said the issue became confused after Kenyan leaders had publicly referred to the tanks as their own.

Christensen said an unspecified number of destroyers and cruisers have joined the San Diego-based USS destroyer Howard within a 10-mile radius of the Faina.

"The safety of the ship's crew and cargo is a paramount concern to us," Christensen said, adding additional warships and helicopters were deployed to prevent the weapons from falling "into the wrong hands."

There have been 24 reported attacks in Somalia this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center. Last year, U.S. naval helicopters fired on pirate skiffs tied to a hijacked Japanese tanker carrying 30,000 tons of benzene after they feared that pirates might try to use it as a floating bomb in a middle eastern oil port.

Seizing ships has become an important source of income for pirates in Somalia, which is riven between rival clan-based warlords since they overthrew a socialist dictator in 1991.

Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek in Washington, Yana Sedova in Kiev, Ukraine and Surk in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.

Arr! Pirates Confirm Tanks Headed to South Sudan, Not Kenya

Chinese state media reports the Somali Youth Coast Guard pirates who have captured 33 Ukrainian tanks off the coast of Somalia have documents confirming that the tanks were bound for South Sudan, a state in the part of Sudan shown in red in the above map. South Sudan was created in a 2005 peace agreement in which the Sudanese government turned over control of the area to the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. A 2011 plebiscite on independence is scheduled by the peace agreement. South Sudan is the largest unrecognized de facto independent country in the world, with an estimated population of around 11 million and a land area comparable to that of France.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/29/content_10130741.htm

Confusion looms over ownership of seized Ukrainian military cargo

www.chinaview.cn 2008-09-29 05:53:49

Print

NAIROBI, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Controversy is looming over seized Ukrainian vessel carrying military equipment with fresh reports indicating that the arsenal was destined for south Sudan and not the Kenyan military. Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program said on Sunday the Somali pirates claim to be in possession of confidential documents showing that the arms were actually destined for southern Sudan and not Kenya. Mwangura said that the hijacked ship-MV Faina was ferrying the fourth such consignment from Ukrainian to southern Sudan. "One of the cargo arrived at the port of Mombasa in October last year, two in February this year. The seized load of 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks and some ammunition was the fourth cargo with military equipment for southern Sudan," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone on Sunday. Mwangura's statement came as heavily armed U.S. vessel is monitoring a Ukranian cargo ship hijacked by pirates in Somalia, to ensure they do not remove tanks, ammunition and weapons on board. A man claiming to be a spokesman for the pirates said they now want 20 million U.S. dollars to free the cargo ship Faina. "The pirates are saying that if they are not going to be paid the ransom, they will spill the beans. Maybe they are going to say what is happening in this region because we understand South Sudan is under a United Nations arms embargo and why Kenya allowing the military equipment to pass through Kenyan waters is not known," Mwangura said. The latest hijackings are part of a surge of daring maritime attacks off the coast of Somalia, a war-torn country that has been without a functioning government since 1991. The Kenyan government said on Friday that the Ukrainian vessel that was hijacked by Somali pirates off Somali coast is carrying military equipment destined for the East African nation. A statement from the government Spokesman Alfred Mutua said the Belize-flagged Faina vessel was carrying an authorized Ukrainian government arms shipment for the Kenyan government to be used by the military in the country. A U.S. defence official said the destroyer USS Howard is within a few thousand yards of the Faina. T he hijacked ship is anchored a few kilometres off the Somalia coast and the pirates have lowered their ransom demands from 35 million dollars to 20 million dollars. The pirates also warned against any attempt to rescue the crew or cargo of the ship. Mutua said the east African nation would not negotiate with what it called international criminals, pirates and terrorists, and said efforts to recover the hijacked ship and its cargo would continue. "The Kenyan government, together with its security partners, has established that the ship has not yet docked at any port and is still at sea," the statement said. "However, it should be noted that because the ship had not yet docked at Mombassa, the responsibility of the insured cargo rests with the shipper," said Mutua in a statement. Ukraine's foreign ministry said the ship had a crew of 21 and was sailing towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa. Authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland said they are powerless to confront the pirates, who regularly hold ships for ransom at the port of Eyl. There were reports that at least 100 pirates from the dreaded Somalia Youth Coast Guard were in control of the Faina, which is sailing under a Belize flag. The ship's captain is said to have contacted a merchant marine call center where he described the pirates before communication was cut off. Pirates have seized dozens of ships near Somalia's coast in recent months. A Russian Navy vessel is heading to the region and the United States has said it is monitoring developments in the area.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

Arr! Somali Pirates' Prize With Tanks Owned by Antarcticland?

The international shipping industry is notorious for having odd ownership structures, so it may not mean anything, but it appears that the ownership of the ship MV Faina, seized with 33 1980's-era Soviet tanks and assorted military hardware off the Somali coast, leads to an enigma.

The ship is reported to be US-owned. It was sold twice recently. Once, on March 23, 2007, it was sold by Marabou Shipping to Redrick Co., Ltd. of Belize, and at that time was renamed from Marabou to Faina. It was then placed under the management of Phoenix Logistic. Then on February 11, 2008, management was transferred to Tomex, based in Odessa in Ukraine. Then on March 10 it was sold to Waterlux AG.

Waterlux is reportedly a Panamanian subsidiary of Tomex:

WATERLUX AG

21677

---

	Address : 50th Street, Global Plaza Tower, 19th Floor, Suite H, Panama City, Panama c/o Subsidary Company "Tomex" of "Tomex Team Inc.": Ukraine, 65012 Odessa, Mukachevskiy per., 6/5
	Phone : c/oc/o +380 (482) 358000 Fax : c/oc/o +380 (482) 348007
	Number of Ships : 1

There are an awful lot of things in "Global Plaza Tower, 19th Floor, Suite H". What they seem to have in common is a law firm, Cambra La Duke & Company. They specialize in setting up offshore companies, and have three partners: Ricardo and Ana Cambra La Duke and Giovanni Caporaso. Dr. Caporaso has written a bizarre book, Antarcticland Magna Carta, among other unusual works:

The Sovereign Order of Antarcticland, arose from a group of knights established, as a secret Sovereign Order, in 1821 by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen deceptionate by the Tsar Alexander I that did not give great acclaim for the discover of the Antarctic continent. The Sovereign Order of the Knights of Antarcticland claim Sovereignty to the islands in a wedge extending from the South Pole to 60° S latitude between longitudes 90° W and 135° W. Demonstration is that no Country has claimed that area. Now because the world changes, the global warming and the importance of the Anatrctic in a near future, the Regent, Sir Giovanni Caporaso decided to raise the Knights to the obligation of maintain the secret and claimed to the United Nations jus gentium the lands and the sea within 25 miles from the coast of the Antarctic Continent included from 90 degrees west and 135 degrees west and the sovereignty of the Country, that still is in domain of his family and the knights since the 1821.

Antarcticland has an official web site:

http://www.antarcticland.org/

Arr! Captured "Ukrainian" Vessel Carrying Tanks Is US-Owned

There are reports out there that people aboard the Ukrainian vessel captured by pirates have contacted the website life.ru, which seems to be some kind of tabloid. They have an interview up which claims the vessel is American-owned. My Russian is next to nothing, so here's the important part in Russian and the automated translation:

http://life.ru/video/6408

- Я не уверен, я не знаю точную цену. Они будут обсуждать между их главарем и солдатами. Я не уверен, что они хотят связываться с московским управлением. На этот момент я уже разговаривал с американским хозяином нашего судна. Он спрашивал меня о ситуации на борту. Я рассказал ему, что пока все в норме. В команде 21 человек, а полное число людей на борту - 35 (следовательно, пиратов на судне - 14).

Сейчас мы бросили якорь около берегов Сомали. Место называется Хобио. Рядом также стоят еще два судна - в той же ситуации. Они хотят связаться с владельцем судна.

- I am not sure I do not know the exact price. They will discuss among their leaders and soldiers. I'm not sure they want to communicate with Moscow's control. At this point I have talked with the American master of the vessel. He asked me about the situation on board. I told him that until everything is normal. In the team of 21 people, and the total number of people on board - 35 (hence the pirates on board - 14).

Now we drop anchor near the coast of Somalia. The place is called Hobio. Several also face a further two vessels - in the same situation. They want to contact the owner of the vessel.

------------------------------

I'm pretty sure this means the owner is an American-- the transliteration is "Na etot moment ya uzhe razgovarival s amerikanskim khozyainom nashevo sudna." My dictionary says "khozyain", here in the dative case modified by "amerikanskiy", means "owner", and that "sudna", here in the genitive case modified by "nash", meaning "our", means "vessel". As far as I can tell the translation checks out.

Wall Street "Crash" Proves Underwhelming

Yesterday, the $700 billion the markets needed to avoid another Great Depression fell through-- at least for a few days. The largest savings and loan in the country, Washington Mutual, was seized by federal regulators and handed off to JP Morgan Chase, and this is the market reaction? An increase in the market capitalization of about $200 billion? I think this reaction from the New York stock exchange is the final proof that the "crisis" is crap. All that seems to have happened is a big spike in interday interest rates- "big" being that they are a massive 3.76%- and all you have to do to get credit at low rates is agree to take out a loan for three months, which gives you a rate which is 2.08% lower. I know that's a record high, but come on- this is not an earthshattering crisis.

Isn't this what markets are supposed to do? There's all this activity in derivatives and other crap which required a spike in intraday lending, and the banks said no, we have people who are doing real things we actually need, and if you need anything, just lock in a rate for three months. That's not a crisis, that's people acting like responsible adults.

Arr! Somali Pirates Seize Shipment of Ukrainian Tanks "to Kenya"

What scenario could Kenya possibly be thinking about which would require 30 main battle tanks? These aren't even particularly obsolete models.The T-72 was the top of the line Soviet model from 1971 onward. However, the tanks may have not been intended for Kenya. The second article, a February 2008 article from a newspaper based in the "liberated" Sudanese city of Juba, strongly suggests that Kenya may be involved in transfer of tanks to the South Sudanese government in case of a showdown with Khartoum.

It remains to be seen whether Somali pirates are capable of selling off the booty. Certainly there would be plenty of prospective buyers, but do they even have port facilities capable of unloading them?

Pirates seize ship carrying tanks, ammo

(CNN) -- A Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and ammunition has been seized by pirates off the coast of Kenya, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry told CNN.

FILE PHOTO: Canadian Navy sailors escort an aid ship in waters off Somalia where pirates operate.

The vessel Faina, flying a Belize flag, was headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa after departing from Nikolayev, Ukraine, according to Lt. Col. Konstantin Sadilov, spokesman for the defense ministry.

He said it was seized by pirates on Thursday not far from its destination.

According to the defense ministry, the ship was carrying 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, tank artillery shells, grenade launchers and small arms.

The weapons were sold to Kenya by Ukraine, said Ukraine Defense Minister Yuri Yekhanurov, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

He said the entire shipment was contracted and carried out by Ukrspetzexport, Ukraine's state arms exports monopoly, and it would know better exactly what was on board.

Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua confirmed to The Associated Press that the East African nation's military had ordered the tanks and spare parts, but he did not provide any more details.

The ship deliberately took a route far from the coast of Somalia, where pirates are known to operate, in an attempt to avoid them, the minister said.

Ukraine's anti-terrorist center in its capital, Kiev, is analyzing the situation and consulting with military and security experts, Sadilov told CNN.

Ukrainian diplomats are also working in Kenya to resolve the situation, he said.

The ship's crew consists of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and a Lithuanian.

The Russian patrol ship Neustrashimy, which left Wednesday for the coast off Somalia, may help crack down on pirates, a source in the Russian Baltic Fleet headquarters told Interfax-AVN on Friday.

And the Russian Navy's commander, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, told Interfax that Russia plans to send combat ships to the Somali coast to fight piracy.

"We have such plans for the near future," he said. "However, Russian ships will not be involved in any international operations. They will do this job on their own."

http://www.k2-media.org/jubapost/go/record.php?cat=3&recordID=379

Chinese Tanks for SAF, Kenya seizes weapons for SPLA

Staff writer

KHARTOUM (22 Feb.) - The Chinese government has supplied more modern and advanced weapon systems to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) while Kenya has seized weapons bound to the Sudan Peoples liberation Army(SPLA) routed through the port of Mombassa saying that it constitutes a clear violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), according to a recent press report. According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), there are three recognised army groups: Joint Integrated Unit, Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. The CPA recognises each of these armies as legitimate independent entities. United Press International (UPI) reported on February 15, 2008 in Terra Daily website in its analysis that the Chinese Type 96 (also called Type 88C) tanks were spotted in Sudan last year, indicating that China has exported one of its most modern tanks to Africa. According to the International News Agency and Strategy Page website of February 20, the 50 ton Type 96 has a three man crew and modern sensors and electronics. The 90 series tanks are of Chinese design, and there appears to be as many as 2500 Type 90 series tanks in service, with as many as two thirds of them Type 96s. There are another 700 Type 79s and 80s, both of which were stepping stones to the 90 series. Most Chinese tanks, about 5,000, are Type 59s. Most of these have been upgraded from being a clone of the Russian T-54 to T-54 clones equipped with Western guns (copy of the British L7 105mm gun, firing depleted uranium shells) and modern electronics. China also has a copy of the German 120mm gun, which it may try to install in some Type 59 upgrades. Those Type 59s that don't get upgraded are being scrapped. This apparently means that the Type 59 force will shrink by at least several hundred tanks a year until all are gone. Sudan has, until recently, had a tank force consisting mostly of about 200 Chinese Type 59s, but some of these appear to have been upgraded by the Chinese. Also spotted in Sudan have been Chinese Type 92 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle (similar to the U.S. Stryker). China is very strict about keeping information on its tank force secret. The most modern tanks they have are the Type 98 and 99, which come close to matching early models of the U.S. M-1. Meanwhile, the Kenyan government on February 14, seized at the port of Mombassa 50 tanks for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) saying it is a member of the CPA Assessment and Evaluation Commission and one of the sponsors of Sudan's peace deal. According to the Khartoum based Al-Ray Al-Aam, Nairobi has said that SPLA military capabilities build-up is contrary to the signed peace agreement. The 2005s peace deal between the former rebel movement and the Khartoum government ended one of Africa's longest civil wars, bringing many fighters out of the bush. In accordance with the CPA, The Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army constitute the Sudan's National Armed Forces during the interim period that are administered differently. Each is independent to develop its forces capacity. The seized containers are the first batch of weapons contracted by the SPLA from former Soviet Union states, rocket launchers, artillery and aircraft had not yet arrived, the Kenyan sources disclosed. The independent daily pointed out that there were a number of containers of spare parts for military vehicles and weapons in Mombassa port. The United States has started military training for SPLA troops in order to transform the former rebel army into a professional army. Washington denied that contracts with a specialized firm, DynCorp, included any arms deal with southern Sudan's government, which donors say has funnelled the biggest chunk of its budget - some 40 percent - into defence.

47 House Seats the Republicans Aren't Contesting

This year, 47 Democrats will be elected to the House of Representatives without Democratic opponents. One can see below what areas Republicans have decided they simply don't represent.

The D+14 and such below is the Partisan Voting Index, which indicates the difference between the 2000 and 2004 vote for Bush and the national average, with D indicating a more Democratic district. Minorities are given if over 20% Latino or Black or 10% Asian.

One shocking feature of the list is that Republicans are contesting only 2 of 10 Massachusetts seats and one of the four seats in Arkansas. I guess those are states with really bad Republican parties. What is less surprising is the concentration in centers of major cities, including two in Boston, two in New York, four (!) in Chicago (including an affluent white area), two in Atlanta, two in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, and six (!) in Los Angeles, including one of the wealthiest districts in the US (Waxman's seat). Newark, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Richmond, Norfolk, Memphis, Jacksonville, and El Paso also apparently are places Republicans just aren't interested in. However, I have to commend Anh Joseph Quang Cao, the brave soul who is running for Congress as a Republican in New Orleans.

Northeast

VT (Welch) D+8. Entire state.
MA-02 (Neal) D+11. Springfield east to edge of Boston area south of Worcester.
MA-03 (McGovern) D+11. Worcester south to Rhode Island.
MA-04 (Frank) D+17. New Bedford, Fall River, some Boston suburbs.
MA-05 (Tsongas) D+9. North Boston suburbs along New Hampshire border.
MA-07 (Markey) D+18. Suburbs north of Boston.
MA-08 (Capuano) D+31. 22% Black. Central Boston, core suburbs around Cambridge.
MA-09 (Lynch) D+15. Suburbs south of Boston, part of city.
MA-10 (Delahunt) D+8. Cape Cod, southeast Boston suburbs.
NY-06 (Meeks) D+38. 52% Black. Queens near JFK airport.
NY-09 (Weiner) D+14. 15% Asian. Southern Brooklyn and Rockaways.
NJ-10 (Payne) D+34. 57% Black. Newark, Elizabeth.
PA-14 (Doyle) D+22. 23% Black. Central Pittsburgh.

Midwest

MI-14 (Conyers) D+33. 61% Black. West side of Detroit, inner suburbs around Dearborn.
IL-02 (Jackson) D+35. 62% Black. South side of Chicago.
IL-04 (Gutierrez) D+13. 74% Latino. Oddly shaped part of western Chicago.
IL-05 (Emanuel) D+18. 23% Latino. North Chicago, some suburbs.
IL-07 (Davis) D+35. 62% Black. Downtown and western Chicago.
IL-17 (Hare) D+5. Quad Cities, oddly shaped rural west of state.
WI-04 (Moore) D+20. 33% Black. Milwaukee.
MO-01 (Clay) D+26. 50% Black. Central St. Louis.

South

VA-03 (Scott) D+18. 56% Black. Oddly shaped district connecting central Richmond, Norfolk.
VA-09 (Boucher) R+7. Rural extreme west of state.
WV-01 (Mollohan) R+6. Rural north of state.
GA-04 (Johnson) D+22. 53% Black. East inner suburbs of Atlanta.
GA-05 (Lewis) D+25. 56% Black. Central Atlanta.
AL-07 (Davis) D+17. 62% Black. Birmingham.
TN-06 (Goodman) R+4. Rural central part of state east and north of Nashville.
TN-08 (Tanner) Even. 22% Black. Rural western part of state.
TN-09 (Cohen) D+18. 59% Black. Memphis.
FL-03 (Brown) D+16. 49% Black. Central Jacksonville, rural areas south to Orlando.
FL-17 (Meek) D+35. 55% Black and 21% Latino. Northern Miami.
FL-20 (Schultz) D+18. 21% Latino. Oddly shaped Ft. Lauderdale, suburbs.
LA-03 (Melancon) R+5. 25% Black. Rural Mississippi Delta south and west of New Orleans.
AR-01 (Berry) D+01. Rural east of state.
AR-02 (Snyder) Even. Contains Little Rock.
AR-04 (Ross) Even. 24% Black. Rural south of state.
TX-09 (Green) D+21. 37% Black, 33% Latino, 11% Asian. South and west Houston.
TX-16 (Reyes) D+9. 78% Latino. El Paso.

West

CA-18 (Cardoza) D+03. 42% Latino. Modesto, Stockton.
CA-28 (Berman) D+25. 56% Latino. San Fernando Valley of LA.
CA-30 (Waxman) D+25. Beverly Hills, Santa Monica.
CA-31 (Becerra) D+30. 70% Latino and 14% Asian. Central LA.
CA-32 (Solis) D+17. 62% Latino and 18% Asian. East LA, some suburbs.
CA-37 (Richardson) D+27. 25% Black, 45% Latino, 11% Asian. South central LA, Compton.
CA-38 (Napolitano) D+20. 71% Latino and 10% Asian. East LA, some suburbs.
OR-04 (DeFazio) Even. Eugene, rural southern Willamette Valley.