Finland denies missing ship carries nuclear material

[tocqueville]

Source: AFP

by Orlando Rodrigues Orlando Rodrigues – 18 mins ago

PRAIA (AFP) – Finnish authorities dismissed talk Sunday that the Arctic Sea was bearing a cargo of nuclear material, as Russia and NATO joined forces in an international hunt for the missing vessel.

Jukka Laaksonen, head of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, said firefighters conducted radiation tests on the ship -- last reported off Cape Verde -- at a port in Finland before it began a voyage full of intrigue.

But he dismissed as "stupid rumours" reports in British and Finnish newspapers that the ship could be carrying a "secret" nuclear cargo that could explain why it was attacked on the Baltic Sea before vanishing.

"Some fireman for some reason thought that there might be some radioactivity involved in this shipment and that was a very stupid idea. There was no basis for that," Laaksonen told AFP.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090816/wl_afp/transportshippingcrimerussiamaltacapeverdefinland_20090816164319

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090816/ap_on_re_eu/missing_ship

full NATO-Russia cooperation

[snagglepuss]

1. How many ships get inspected for radioactivity? Why this one?

Very odd. Perhaps the crew were concerned about the cargo and called the fire dept? :freak:

[tocqueville]

2. the Finns might have been worried...

since the ship is supposed to transport timber that the wood was illegally logged in the Tchernobyl's forests...

Russians are known to export radioactive products like metal scrap etc...

It's not likely that the crew called anybody (except after the 1st hijacking) and they are skilled Russians. The company is Maltese.

[formercia]

3. Some Nuclear material is not easily detected

unless you have specialized equipment. A Geiger counter isn't enough.

[Ex Lurker]

4. Tell the birthers it's carrying Obama's Kenyan birth certificate

and let them join the hunt.

[Ghost Dog]

5. Maybe on account of what the likes of this freak-show website,

(on historical evidence, definitely a freak-show) amongst no doubt others, has to say:

Disturbing reports are circulating in the Kremlin today over what Russian Military Intelligence analysts are stating to President Medvedev is the “likely theft” of 3 atomic armed cruise missiles recently recovered from the crash site of the Northern Fleets worst ever submarine disaster caused by a still “unexplained” explosion on the K-141 Kursk, and which claimed the lives of all 118 crew members.

According to these reports, the Northern Fleet, working conjointly with Finland Military Forces, utilized the “underwater capabilities” of the Arctic Sea to locate and raise the 3 missing Nuclear Armed P-700 Granit Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles that Russia had not allowed to be salvaged by the Dutch companies Mammoet and Smit International contracted to raise the Kursk in 2001.

Once the nuclear armed cruise missiles were safely aboard the Arctic Sea, these reports continue, their journey was to have taken them across the Atlantic to the United States where they would then be transferred to the care of the US National Nuclear Security Administration where they would then be safely dismantled at what is called the Pantex Plant located in the State of Texas as per the provisions for eliminating these weapons contained in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II).

This did not happen, however, as these reports state that when transiting the English Channel the Arctic Sea was “hijacked” by as yet “unidentified commandos” who stormed the ship purporting to be “anti-drug police” in what the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is calling a most “bizarre” situation...