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Roro ship minus cargo released

The "Ural", which had been arrested at Sfax on Feb 15, was released on Apr 6 without her cargo of military equipment, which has been seized by Tunisian authorities. The cargo was a complex shipment of everything required to set up military camp, including armoured vehicles and weaponry. The "Ural" had sailed from Novorossiysk and was bound for Douala, Cameroon. The cost of the seized cargo was some $4,15 mil. The ship headed to Alexandria ETA Apr 10.

Mystery surrounding weapon cargo deepens

The mystery surrounding the "Ural" deepens. Mike Voitenko who is running the website "Maritime Bulletin", initially mentioned some problems that arose on Feb 9 during the brief crossing of the Ionian Sea between Greece and Italy, finding it atypical and strange that the ship was there while the port of destination was Douala. The ship sailed sharply to the south and approached the Libyan coast, where it cruised at low speed before setting sail for Tripoli, until finally, on Feb 13, the master decided to sail close to the Libyan coast before heading quickly to the port of Sfax. Tunisian customs officials were stunned by what they discovered on board the vessel: 24 containers loaded with infantry fighting vehicles, bulldozers, military uniforms, radios and satellite communication equipment. The crew explained the stopover was forced by a serious damage. The Tunisian authorities suspected the crew of involvement in terrorism. The Tunisian authorities decided to keep the vessel in detention because the cargo documents were tainted with strong suspicions and did not meet any of the requirements in force. They referred the case to the antiterrorist prosecutor's office. On Fe 20, the ship's crew attempted to contact representatives of the Russian Embassy in Tunisia, but was refused to do so. Media in the Middle East did not rule out the possibility of weapons being sent to Libya. The influential Russian blogger and political analyst Anatoly Nesmeyan, a great defender of Moscow's military interference in Syria, claimed that the "maneuvers near the Libyan coast were obviously suspect". It seemed possible that the route taken by the ship suggested that the recipient was either Khalifa Haftar or mercenaries waiting for military equipment, equipment or other useful tools of war, he said. "Given that the supply of weapons to Libya is illegal, the secret of such a smuggling mission is understandable". Officially, Russia remained silent on the case of the "Ural" with the exemption of a statement from her embassy in Tunisia on Feb 24, saying that the ship belonged to a Turkish company, named Akdeniz Roro. In its version the vessel was caught in a storm and asked to anchor at the Tunisian port of Sfax for repairs, saying that there were no Russian nationals on board. For now, the eyes were turned to the investigation conducted by the Customs and the Tunisian justice.

Roro ship still held in Sfax

The "Ural", which was bound from Novorossiysk to Douala was still being held in Sfax. On Feb 15 the ship got caught in a storm and requested entry at Sfax for additional repairs. The ship was carrying a cargo for the authorities of the Central African Republic. The customs examination of the vessel was still going on. A representative of the company that owns the cargo was currently in Tunisia to clarify the situation with the ship. There were no Russian nationals among the crew of the detained vessel. When inspecting the ship, Tunisian authorities found a batch of heavy-load trucks, infantry fighting vehicles, light weapons, ammunition and tents on board of the vessel.