U.S. INTERCEPTS SUDANESE FERRY

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 002642 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/SPG AND AF/SE NSC FOR PITTMAN AND SHORTLEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO EWWT MOPS PHSA PTER ASEC SUBJECT: U.S. INTERCEPTS SUDANESE FERRY ¶1. (SBU) The Sudanese Arabic daily "Al Shari Al Syasi" reported on November 3 that U.S. naval forces had boarded a Sudanese ship in the Red Sea. Post has confirmed the interception, which has been reported through other channels. The newspaper has ties to the National Islamic Front (NIF), though its influence is limited. ¶2. (U) An unofficial translation of the article's text is as follows: (Begin Text) Details of interception by US forces of Red Sea Sudanese Ferry Official sources uncovered new details about an incident where a Sudanese ship of Ba'abood Shipping was exposed to marine piracy in the Red Sea when U.S. military forces affiliated with the American Coalition forces intercepted the Sudanese vessel (Ibn Al Walid),and subjected it to major inspections, 35 nautical miles east of Port Sudan on its way from Saudi Arabia to Port Sudan. According to sources, the armed soldiers boarded the ship, detained the crew, and conducted an examination of the workers and sailors' passports in addition to photographing the crew of the ship. The American ship detained the Sudanese vessel for four hours, during which time they conducted a thorough inspection and prevented the ship's crew from contacting the Sudanese authorities. An authorized source in the Maritime Port Authority called the event undisguised marine piracy and indicated that it is forbidden to intercept a civilian vessel in this way, adding that the American forces deployed in the Red Sea have become an impediment to navigation and that a number of vessels from various countries have been exposed to similar inspections without clear and convincing justification. (End text) POWERS