Israel Seizes Syrian Ship Bringing Iranian Weapons To Gaza (March 15 2011)

Israel Seizes Syrian Ship Bringing Iranian Weapons To Gaza (March 15 2011)

This is an Article from http://grendelreport.posterous.com/ and is about the Victoria affair (March 15 2011) when Iranian weapons were found in the ship M/V Victoria, a German-owned vessel, operated by a French company, and flying the Liberian flag.


Overview

1. On the morning of March 15, 2011, 200 miles (108 nautical miles) west of Israel's coast, an IDF navy force inspected the cargo ship M/V Victoria. The ship was sailing from the Syrian port of Latakia to the Turkish port of Mersin, and from there would continue to the Egyptian port of Alexandria.


2. The Victoria was carrying containers holding some 50 tons of weapons destined for the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. The weapons were in three containers, concealed behind bales of cotton and sacks of lentils. There were 60 mm and 120 mm mortar shells, C-704 anti-ship missiles, and ammunition for Kalashnikov assault rifles. Most of the weapons, including the C-704 missiles, were manufactured in Iran.

3. It was the first time anti-ship missiles were captured, destined for the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. They would have endangered Israeli military and civilian vessels as well as Israeli strategic targets in the Ashdod-Ashqelon region at a range of the missiles is 35 kilometers (19 nautical miles). They were accompanied by instruction manuals written in Farsi. On the covers were the emblems of Iran and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, proof of the source of the weapons and of the Revolutionary Guards' Al-Quds Force's involvement in the attempted smuggling with the collaboration of Syria and the Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Weapons found aboard the M/V Victoria

Overview

10. The three containers found aboard the M/V Victoria held approximately fifty tons of weapons. According to the initial count, they were the following:


1) 230 120 mm mortar shells manufactured in Iran accompanied by a range table.


2) 2,270 M-61 60 mm mortar shells accompanied by a range table. According to the table the type of fuse involved was the AZ111-A2, developed and manufactured by Iran.


3) Six C-704 anti-ship missiles manufactured in Iran, two naval radars and operating stations for the anti-ship missiles.

Prominent among the weapons were six C-704 anti-ship missiles, manufactured in Iran based on Chinese technology. The missiles were stamped "Nasser," their Iranian name. They use a radar homing system and have a range of 35 kilometers (20 nautical miles). They missiles are light and easy to fire. Their possession by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip would have endangered Israeli naval and civilian vessels, as well as ships arriving at the port of Ashdod and strategic targets in the area.

4) 66,960 7.62 caliber bullets for Kalashnikov assault rifles.


5) Instruction manuals in Farsi and range cards for operating the systems.



11. Prominent among the weapons were six C-704 anti-ship missiles, manufactured in Iran based on Chinese technology. The missiles were stamped "Nasser," their Iranian name. They use a radar homing system and have a range of 35 kilometers (20 nautical miles). They missiles are light and easy to fire. Their possession by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip would have endangered Israeli naval and civilian vessels, as well as ships arriving at the port of Ashdod and strategic targets in the area.

12. The missiles were accompanied by instruction manuals written in Farsi. The emblems of Iran and the Revolutionary Guards appeared (on the front cover). According to the range cards, the fuses for the 60 mm mortar shells are AZ111-A2, developed in accordance with the requirements of the Iranian army and manufactured in Iran (Jane's Ammunition Handbook). The missiles were accompanied by accessories such as traverse, elevation, monitoring and control systems.

The M/V Victoria  and its route

13. The M/V Victoria  belongs to the German company Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG and is operated by the French shipping company CMA-CGM. It set sail from the Syrian port of Latakia and its final destination was the Egyptian port of Alexandria. It had a stopover at the south Turkey port of Mersin


14. The ship was constructed to transport containers and was built in 2004. It is owned by Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG, Hamburg, which has been in operation since 1956. It is operated by the French shipping company CMA-CGM and flies the Liberian flag.


15. The French CMA-CGM is the third largest company shipping cargo in the world and the largest in France. It owns 396 ships and sails 170 different routes and has 650 agencies and offices around the globe. Its directors are Rudolf Saadé (born in 1970), son of the founder, Jacques Saadé (born in Beirut in 1937), and Farid Salem (born in Beirut in 1939 (CMA-CGM website).


16. The M/V Victoria  was not the first CMA-CGM vessel exploited by Iran to smuggle arms. In October 2010 the Nigerian security forces exposed a cargo of 13 containers of weapons aboard the M/V Everest, which sailed from Iran to the Nigerian port of Apapa in July and was en route to Gambia. The ship belonged to the Iranian Behineh Trading Company, apparently connected to a Quds Force operative (who was later arrested in Nigeria) and was operated by the French CMA-CGM, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.