Cape Town – The SA Navy has reportedly said it will give details regarding the US-sanctioned Russian-owned vessel that dropped its anchor in Simon’s Town, Cape Town on Tuesday.
The Russian cargo ship, Lady R is among Russian vessels and shipping companies sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in response to the response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, reported the Daily Maverick.
It was alleged that the cargo ship may have been in distress and docked between 20:00pm and 22:00pm on Tuesday while the town was under load shedding, the report said.
DA Shadow Minister of Defence Kobus Marais told the publication that Lady R’s AIS appeared to have been switched off.
This, he said “is most certainly concerning, because all commercial vessels AIS should be on at all times”.
However, he said the information he had received was that Lady R was a vessel in distress and was escorted to Simon’s Town as the nearest port.
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According to News24, the SA Navy will only provide details about the sanctioned vessel on Friday.
The mystery surrounding the ship has become a talking point in the fishing community, the report said.
The South African National Defence Force and naval authorities remained tight-lipped about the mysterious vessel, the report said.
The report said that the Chief of the SA Navy will be addressing the matter in Gordon’s Bay after the passing-out parade for military officers.
Lady R, is an 18-year-old roll-on/roll-off container carrier with a carrying gross tonnage of 7 260 and sails under the flag of the Russian Federation with her home port listed as Astrakhan.
The Russian Consulate reportedly said it had no information on the cargo ship, the report said.
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