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| People-smugglers draw from large pool of merchant shipping workhorses | People-smugglers draw from large pool of merchant shipping workhorses |
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| The so-called ghost ship carrying at least 450 migrants which was towed into an Italian port by coastguards on Friday after people-smugglers abandoned it off Europe’s south coast was drawn from the large supply of often rusting hulks that have acted as workhorses in the merchant shipping industry over recent decades. | The so-called ghost ship carrying at least 450 migrants which was towed into an Italian port by coastguards on Friday after people-smugglers abandoned it off Europe’s south coast was drawn from the large supply of often rusting hulks that have acted as workhorses in the merchant shipping industry over recent decades. |
| Records of the Ezadeen’s movements show that it left Tartus, Syria’s second largest port, in October before sailing north towards the southern coast of Turkey and looping back towards northern Cyprus. After leaving Famagusta, in northern Cyprus, on 19 December, it returned to the Turkish coast and repeatedly changed direction as if in a holding pattern between Cyprus and Turkey. | Records of the Ezadeen’s movements show that it left Tartus, Syria’s second largest port, in October before sailing north towards the southern coast of Turkey and looping back towards northern Cyprus. After leaving Famagusta, in northern Cyprus, on 19 December, it returned to the Turkish coast and repeatedly changed direction as if in a holding pattern between Cyprus and Turkey. |
| According to co-ordinates recorded by Astra Paging, which provides software that tracks vessels using AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals, the Ezadeen then embarked on a fairly steady route over the last week and a half, skirting Turkey’s southern Mediterranean coast, passing north of Crete and then along the west coast of Greece. It is not clear at what point the bulk of the migrants were taken on board. | |
| The Ezadeen is a former livestock carrier that has gone through at least seven changes of name since it first started operating as a cargo ship in 1966. Its most recent owner – officially at least – appears to have been a merchant marine company based in Lebanon, but somewhere along the way it seems people-smugglers took control of it. | The Ezadeen is a former livestock carrier that has gone through at least seven changes of name since it first started operating as a cargo ship in 1966. Its most recent owner – officially at least – appears to have been a merchant marine company based in Lebanon, but somewhere along the way it seems people-smugglers took control of it. |
| Made in Germany, the 1,474-tonne vessel has been flying under the flag of Sierra Leone for the past four years and was previously under that of Syria. A sample of its docking history over the past year also reflects the disparate jurisdictions that such ships pass through. In March last year it was in the Romanian port of Midia, before later visiting Beirut, Dubai, Beirut again, Aden and the Egyptian ports of Suez and Port Said. | Made in Germany, the 1,474-tonne vessel has been flying under the flag of Sierra Leone for the past four years and was previously under that of Syria. A sample of its docking history over the past year also reflects the disparate jurisdictions that such ships pass through. In March last year it was in the Romanian port of Midia, before later visiting Beirut, Dubai, Beirut again, Aden and the Egyptian ports of Suez and Port Said. |
| A previous “ghost ship”, the Blue Sky M, which was abandoned and believed to have been left on autopilot by people-smugglers, was carrying 970 people when it was intercepted this week. It is listed as a general cargo ship, sailing under a Moldovan flag. The BBC reported that the safety manager of a company hired to provide safety certification for the vessel said he had withdrawn its certificate several months ago after finding it unsafe. | A previous “ghost ship”, the Blue Sky M, which was abandoned and believed to have been left on autopilot by people-smugglers, was carrying 970 people when it was intercepted this week. It is listed as a general cargo ship, sailing under a Moldovan flag. The BBC reported that the safety manager of a company hired to provide safety certification for the vessel said he had withdrawn its certificate several months ago after finding it unsafe. |
| A report by the International Maritime Organisation in 2011 estimated that around the world there were 100,000 sea-going merchant ships with at least a 100 gross tonnage. The average age was 22 years and they were registered across more than 150 countries. | A report by the International Maritime Organisation in 2011 estimated that around the world there were 100,000 sea-going merchant ships with at least a 100 gross tonnage. The average age was 22 years and they were registered across more than 150 countries. |