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Arunta
meets Aussie wheat in Persian Gulf
HMAS
Arunta has had a change of beat in The Gulf and in doing so has
been called upon to check two ships coming from Australia.
Boarding parties from the 3,600-tonne warship went aboard two bulk
carriers carrying a total of 100,000 tonnes of Australian wheat
bound for Iraq.
One carrier held wheat loaded at Kwinana in Western Australia and
the other wheat loaded in Port Lincoln, South Australia.
The inspection and clearance of the two commercial ships occurred
at the United Nations Inspection point known as COMSKEY.
This is the site where all ships heading to and from Iraq must stop
so that its cargo can be inspected.
The inspections are done by naval boarding parties from the Maritime
Interception Force whose role it is to ensure that only permitted
cargo is allowed through.
One of the aims of the MIF is to ensure that sanctioned trade is
not unduly delayed by the inspection process, hence Arunta was assigned
to help the other teams so that a backlog of ships did not occur.
A day in COMSKEY is tough for the boarding teams, according to report
from Arunta.
This is because sailors are called upon to climb up or abseil down
stacked shipping containers.
They are often found crawling through holds checking cargo and in
searing heat.
Arunta does not regularly operate in COMSKEY because of her particular
boarding capabilities she normally patrols much closer to Iraq blocking
oil, dates and other smuggled items leaving or entering Iraqi waters.
“But as they say a change is as good as a holiday and the Arunta
teams were happy for a change of scenery and keen to ensure that
our Aussie exports were quickly and safely on their way to their
final destination,” the ship reported.
Arunta’s homeport, HMAS Stirling is just across Cockburn Sound
from where one of the bulk carriers collected her wheat.
Arunta and her ship’s company of about 160, are on a five-month
Gulf deployment and are taking part in the War on Terror and conducting
MIF duties in support of UN Security Council Resolutions against
Iraq.
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