MV MEERDIJK

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Armored vehicles seized off Libya

An enormous stock of armored army vehicles destined has been seized aboard the 'Meerdijk' off the coast of Libya. According to the EU maritime mission IRINI, the cargo violates the current UN arms embargo on Libya. The shp was forced to a stop on Oct 10, 2022 near the city of Benghazi. On the deck of the ship and in the hold, inspectors found armored vehicles. The cargo did not come from the Netherlands; Before being inspected at Benghazi, the ship called at ports in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates a.o. The arms embargo, declared by the UN in 2011, is intended to prevent rival groups in Libya from fighting each other again. The cargo aboard the 'Meerdijk' appeared to be BATT UMG armored all-terrain vehicles. The vehicles were not equipped with weapons, but could be used for troop transport and patrolling. The military vehicles were probably produced in the Middle East and destined for General Khalifa Haftar's army. After the inspection, the ship was sent to the port of Marseille where the illegal cargo was unloaded. What will happen to the armored all-terrain vehicles has not been disclosed. Report with photos: https://africaports.co.za/#6031

Medevac off Lanvéoc-Poulmic

A crew member of the ÄMeerdijk' fell ill and needed to be medevaced nearly 315 km southwest of Lanvéoc-Poulmic on Aug 26, 2021. At 3:40 p.m., the CROSS Corsen was alerted by the JRCC of Den Helder was unwell. The CROSS Corsen decided to relay the alert to the CROSS Étel, which took over the coordination of the operation. A medical consultation was carried out at 5:24 p.m. and concluded that a rapid evacuation of the sick sailor was necessary. The CROSS Étel then deployed a Cayman helicopter from the 33F flotilla at the Lanvéoc-Poulmic naval air base, taking on board a medical team from the Finistère emergency medical aid service. After more than an hour of flight in reduced visibility (rough seas and wind force 4 from East-North-East), the helicopter arrived in the area at 9:16 p.m. and dropped off the medical personnel of Samu 29 who provided first aid to the patient. Meanwhile, the crew of the helicopter carried out essential refueling aboard the frigate 'Bretagne' which was cruising nearby and then retrieved the medical team and the victim. At 11:25 p.m., the man was taken care of at the CHRU de la Cavale-Blanche in Brest. The 'Meerdijk' continued its vyoage from Gabès to Bromborough with an ETA as of Aug 28. French report with photo: https://actu.fr/faits-divers/finistere-evacuation-medicale-d-un-membre-d-equipage-d-un-navire-hollandais_44426067.html