MV Francop

Last updated

Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - IDF Boarding the Francop.jpg
IDF soldiers boarding the Francop cargo ship
History
Name
  • Tavastland (2002–06)
  • Francop (2006-19)
  • Fesco Moneron (Since 2019)
Namesake
OwnerFrancop Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. (2002-19)
OperatorUnited Feeder Services
Port of registry
BuilderSietas, Neuenfelde
Yard number1166
CompletedAugust 2003
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Length137.50 m (451 ft 1 in)
Beam21.30 m (69 ft 11 in)
Draught7.47 m (24 ft 6 in)
Propulsion1 MaK 9M43 diesel engine, 8,400 kilowatts (11,300 hp)
Speed18.5 knots (34.3 km/h)
Crew11

The MV Francop is a German-owned, Antigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant cargo ship. In November 2009 the Israeli navy boarded the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, suspecting that it was carrying weapons destined for Hezbollah from the Islamic Republic of Iran in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Hundreds of tons of weapons were found on the ship, which was then directed to berth in Israel.

Contents

Background

Built by Sietas of Neuenfelde and completed in August 2003, the ship was launched as Tavastland. [2] It measures 137.50 metres (451 ft 1 in) long, with a beam of 21.30 metres (69 ft 11 in) and a draught of 7.47 metres (24 ft 6 in). Its MaK 9 M 43 diesel engine can reach a speed of 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h). [3] The ship has sailed under the German, British and Antigua and Barbuda flags and is currently under the flag of Russia. [4] It is currently owned by the Russian company Far Eastern Shipping Co., Vladivostok. [4] [5]

Boarding incident

On 4 November 2009, in an operation named Operation Four Species, [6] Israeli navy commandos of Shayetet 13 boarded the ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea without resistance, acting on intelligence reports which it had received. [7] The ship was about 160 kilometres (86 nmi) off the coast of Israel, near Cyprus. [5] A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the ship was carrying "dozens of shipping containers, carrying numerous weapons, disguised as civilian cargo among hundreds of other containers on board". The IDF also claimed that the weapons originated from Iran and were to be directed to Hezbollah. [5] The navy said that the crew was not aware of the purported smuggling and cooperated with Israeli commandos. [8] After the boarding, the Israeli Navy directed the ship to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where a thorough inspection was held. [8]

According to the IDF, the ship picked up the cargo in Damietta, Egypt; the cargo arrived in Egypt on a ship that sailed from Bandar-Abbas, Iran on 25 October. [8] The ship was then set to sail to Limassol, Cyprus and then Latakia, Syria. [8] The IDF suspects that the cargo was intended for Hezbollah, which fought Israel in the 2006 Lebanon War. Following the war, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 forbade the shipments of arms to Hezbollah.

An Israeli naval official claimed that the amount of weapons found is ten times more than that found during Operation Noah's Ark. [9] The arms shipment weighed 320 tons and were held in containers marked with Iranian shipping codes. [7] [10] The seized weaponry included 9,000 mortar shells, thousands of 107-mm Katyusha rockets, 600 122-mm rockets, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. [10] The arms shipment was the largest ever seized by Israeli authorities. [7]

On 5 November 2009, ambassadors and diplomats from 44 countries and military attaches from 27 armies in the world were invited by the IDF and the Foreign Ministry in order for them to be witnesses of the many weapons and accumulation of ammunition that were found on the Francop ship. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon</span> 1978 UN-NATO peacekeeping mission following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, is a UN peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon which Israel had invaded five days prior, in order to ensure that the government of Lebanon would restore its effective authority in the area. The 1978 South Lebanon conflict came in the context of Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon and the Lebanese Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean Shipping Company</span> Swiss international shipping line

Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A, branded as MSC, is an international shipping line founded by Gianluigi Aponte in Italy in 1970. The company is owned by the Aponte family with its headquarters in Switzerland since 1978. It is the world's largest container shipping company by both fleet size and cargo capacity, controlling about 19.7 percent of the global container ship fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMA CGM</span> French shipping company

CMA CGM is a French shipping and logistics company founded in 1978 by Jacques Saadé.

<i>Santorini</i> affair 2001 Palestinian weapons-smuggling incident

The Santorini was a fishing boat used for weapons-smuggling, which was captured in May 2001 by the Israeli Shayetet 13 Naval Commando Unit. This was the first ship caught in an attempt to smuggle weapons to Palestinian-controlled territories. In May 2002, three of the Santorini's crew members were convicted of attempting to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip.

This is a timeline of events related to the 2006 Lebanon War.

Military operations of the 2006 Lebanon War refer to armed engagements initiated by Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah during the 2006 conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hezbollah armed strength</span>

Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, has an exceptionally strong military wing, thought to be stronger than the Lebanese Army, and equivalent to the armed strength of a medium-sized army. A hybrid force, the group maintains "robust conventional and unconventional military capabilities", and is generally considered to be the most powerful non-state actor in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Lebanon War</span> Armed conflict primarily between Israel and Hezbollah

The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War, was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Golan Heights. The principal parties were Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The conflict started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, though it formally ended on 8 September 2006 when Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon. Due to unprecedented Iranian military support to Hezbollah before and during the war, some consider it the first round of the Iran–Israel proxy conflict, rather than a continuation of the Arab–Israeli conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701</span> 2006 resolution on resolving the 2006 Lebanon War

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution that was intended to resolve the 2006 Lebanon War. The resolution calls for a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon to be replaced by Lebanese and UNIFIL forces deploying to southern Lebanon, and the disarmament of armed groups including Hezbollah. It emphasizes Lebanon's need to fully exert government control and calls for efforts to address the unconditional release of abducted Israeli soldiers.

Hezbollah has a military branch and is the sponsor of a number of lesser-known groups, some of which may be little more than fronts for Hezbollah itself. These groups include the Organization of the Oppressed, the Revolutionary Justice Organization, the Organization of Right Against Wrong, and Followers of the Prophet Muhammad.

<i>Karine A</i> affair 2002 Israeli military action

The Karine A affair, also known as Operation "Noah's Ark", was an Israeli military action in January 2002 in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) forces seized MV Karine A, which, according to the IDF, was a Palestinian freighter in the Red Sea. The vessel was found to be carrying 50 tons of weapons, including short-range Katyusha rockets, antitank missiles, and high explosives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shayetet 13</span> Special operations unit of the Israeli Navy

Shayetet 13 is a unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence gathering, maritime hostage rescue, and boarding. The unit is trained for sea, air and land actions. The unit has taken part in almost all of Israel's major wars, as well as other actions.

<i>Francop</i> Affair 2009 Israeli Navy seizure of cargo ship

The Francop Affair was a high seas incident on November 4, 2009 in which the Israeli Navy seized the cargo ship MV Francop in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and its cargo of hundreds of tons of weapons allegedly bound from Iran to Hezbollah. The incident is also known by its military operation name, Operation Four Species.

Events in the year 2009 in the Palestinian territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Affair</span> Israeli military operation

The Victoria Affair was a military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in March 2011 in which the Israeli Navy intercepted the vessel Victoria on the international waters in the Mediterranean, and discovered concealed weapons which, according to the IDF, were destined for Palestinian militant organizations in the Gaza Strip. The vessel was found to be carrying approximately 50 tons of weapons, including C-704 anti-ship missiles, rocket launchers, radar systems, mortar shells and rifle ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">January 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrike</span>

The January 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrike was an aerial attack in the Rif Dimashq Governorate of Syria, which targeted a convoy alleged to be carrying weapons from Syria to the Lebanese Shi'a militia Hezbollah. The convoy was attacked on 31 January 2013. According to several media sources, Israeli forces allegedly conducted the strike, however Israel hasn't officially responded to the allegations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Full Disclosure</span> Israeli military operation

Operation Full Disclosure was a military operation carried out by the Israel Defense Forces on March 5, 2014, in the Red Sea. After days of surveillance far out to sea, Israeli Navy Shayetet 13 commandos seized the Iranian-owned and Panamanian-registered merchant vessel Klos C that had set sail from Iran, heading for Port Sudan via Iraq. On board, the commandos found long-range missiles suspected to be destined for the Gaza Strip concealed in containers full of Iranian bags marked as Portland cement. An unnamed senior Egyptian security official reportedly confirmed that the arms shipment was headed for militants in either Gaza or Sinai. A UN panel of experts concluded that the weapons came from Iran and were being sent to Sudan, accusing Iran of violating the arms embargo. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929 authorizes states to seize items, including arms, that Iran is forbidden from exporting.

The Klos C was a Marshall Islands-owned, Panamanian-registered merchant cargo ship. The Klos C was built in 1996, in Saint Petersburg, Russia by the shipbuilders Severnaya Verf. At the time of its christening, it was briefly known by the name Otztal, after which its name was changed to Klostertal and then Klos C in July, 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Francop – Type of ship: Cargo Ship – Callsign: V2DJ5". vesseltracker.com. 4 November 2009.
  2. "9277412" . Miramar Ship Index . Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  3. "M/S Tavastland". Poosu. Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Ship info: Francop". Equasis. 14 April 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 "Israelis 'seize Iran arms ship'". BBC News. 4 November 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  6. "Report: U.S. Stopped Israel from attacking 'Hezbollah arms ship' - Haaretz - Israel News". Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 Amy, Teibel (5 November 2009). "Hezbollah denies link to arms ship". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Pfeffer, Anshel (4 November 2009). "Israel seizes ship in Mediterranean carrying more than 3,000 rockets". Haaretz . Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  9. Greenberg, Hanan (4 November 2009). "Navy: 10 times more arms on ship than on Karin-A". Ynet . Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  10. 1 2 Katz, Yaakov (5 November 2009). "The haul: 320 tons of Katyushas, other rockets, shells and bullets". The Jerusalem Post . jpost.com. Retrieved 6 November 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. "Ambassadors, Military Attaches Witness Weapons Seized from Francop". IDF. 5 November 2009. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2009.