IRISH CHECK ON COASTER Disposal of arms cargo ruled out

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33193, 5 April 1973, Page 13

IRISH CHECK ON COASTER Disposal of arms cargo ruled out

(N.Z P A.-Reuter—Copyright DUBLIN. April 4. Irish security officials haw ruled out suggestions that the gun-running coaster Claudia dumped or switched a massive arms consignment to another ship before its arrest last Thursday.

“That ship was not let out of sight for 10 seconds on its journey here,” a Defence Department spokesman said last night. "It would have been impossible to switch arms from it or dump them overboard as has been suggested." There has been speculation that a hoard of machine-guns, pistols and ammountion was put ashore further along the coast before the Irish Navy arrested the Claudia. The Claudia’s German owner claimed on Monday that the 289-ton Cyprus-re-gistered ship — discovered with five tons of arms and ammunition aboard, should have been carrying 100 tons worth £400,000 (about 5NZ740.000) and destined for

tithe Irish Republican Army's . (1.R.A.) Provisional wing. But security men believe ’ such a haul, involving about *122,000 weapons, would be to< I big for the Provisionals to | handle. Frogmen, who have been ’ searching the seabed oil Bel vick Head, on the Republic's t County Waterford coast, called off their hunt last night because of had weather A black case—possibly 1 containing documents—was • reported to have been thrown ; overboard when the Irish » Navy moved in for the arrest Meawhile. it was expected that the claim by the Claudia's owner that he or--1 ganised the purchase of arms from Libya would lead to a ' diplomatic approach soon from the Irish Government to the Libyan leader. Colonel Muammar Gadaffi. ’ The Irish Republic does not have diplomatic relations with Libya, and any official protest probably would have (to be made through the two countries' missions at the (United Nations. j The captain of the Claudia |said yesterday that only live (tons of arms were loaded in (Libya and none was later (thrown overboard. Captain Hans-Ludwig Fluegel, aged 41. said that the i vessel had been loaded in (Tripoli, Libya, without objections from the Libyan authorities. But he denied earlier conflicting reports that either 50, or 100 tons of weapons and! ammunition were loaded. “We expected 100 tons but 1

> there were only five tons when we loaded up,” he told ■ reporters He said that no weapons > were thrown overboard dur- > ing the voyage from Tripoli i where Irish Navy vessels . arrested the Claudia last . Wednesday. Earlier yesterday, informed sources said that Libyan soldiers loaded 50 tons tor the illegal Irish Republican Annv aboard the 290-ton Claudia, which docked in Hamburg a few days after the Irish authorities released the ship and its five-man crew. Captain Fluegel said that his ship carried sonar equipment but he declined to comment on reports that the Claudia had been tailed bv a British submarine. Asked how he explained the discrepancy between the expected and the actual tonnage loaded in Tripoli, he said: ”1 am only a sailor who obeys the orders of his ownCaptain Fluegel expressed surprise at the fact that the ship was not detained for a long period in Cork. "I expec ted to be in trouble up to my eyeballs. But I was not taken ashore, there were no investigations, and I was allowed free movement on mi ship while we were in Cork." The captain shrugged his shoulders and smiled wh*n asked to confirm reports that uniformed Libyan soldiers loaded the Claudia. I “I can make no comment. (I am under orders not to say anything," he said.