Sabotage of MV Saoirse ‘an act of international terrorism’

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Saturday July 02, 2011 15:02 by PRO - SIPTU

The Irish-owned ship, the MV Saoirse, that was meant to take part in Gaza Freedom Flotilla 2 has been sabotaged in a dangerous manner in the Turkish coastal town of Göcek, where it was berthed.

Visual evidence of the undership sabotage was presented at a press conference in Dublin on Thursday (30th June). At the conference several speakers, including TDs Joe Higgins, Mick Wallace and Thomas Pringle, accused Israeli agents of carrying out an attack on the boat and declared it ‘an act of international terrorism’.

Six members of the Irish Ship to Gaza, including Dublin MEP Paul Murphy and former international rugby player Trevor Hogan, plan to join an Italian ship, while seven other members will travel back to Dublin. Others hope to travel to Gaza on other aid ships.

Among those returning to Ireland are SIPTU official Mags O’Brien who said all the crew members were “extremely disappointed and angered” by the attack on their vessel.

At the press conference Mark Hogan relayed a message from his brother Trevor that those continuing with their mission to Gaza “will not be deterred by the malicious and reckless sabotage of the MV Saoirse.”

He added; “This outrageous attack has instead reinforced their desire to complete their mission and sail to Gaza with their cargo of humanitarian aid.”

Concerns for the boat first emerged on Monday (27th June) following a short trip near the Göcek marina and an inspection was carried out by divers and by skipper, Shane Dillon, on Tuesday morning. Evidence was found that the shaft of the starboard propeller had been interfered with and it was decided to take the boat out of the water for a further visual inspection. On Wednesday, the boat was put on land at a local shipyard and the extent of the sabotage was immediately visible.

The propeller shaft had been weakened by saboteurs who cut, gouged or filed a piece off the shaft. This had weakened the integrity of the shaft, causing it to bend badly. The damage was very similar to that caused to the Juliano, another flotilla ship, in Greece. The consequent damage would have happened gradually as the ship was sailing and would have culminated in a breach of the hull.

Commenting on the attack from Göcek in Turkey, Dr Fintan Lane, national coordinator of Irish Ship to Gaza, who own the vessel, said: "This is an appalling attack and should be condemned by all right-thinking people. It is an act of violence against Irish citizens and could have caused death and injury.”

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