Warning Shot At Egyptian Boat?

Today there are two stories about one event - U.S. forces fired on an Egyptian boat in the Suez Canal. One report is from CNN, and the other is from Reuters. In fact, the only things the two reports agree on is what is in the first sentence above.

CNN (3/25/08): U.S. ship fires warning shots at boat in Suez Canal. According to this report, U.S. security forces were on a cargo ship when they fired warning shots at a small Egyptian boat that got too close.

Initial reports from the cargo ship indicate no Egyptians were hurt or killed, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. The Associated Press, however, citing Egyptian sources, reported one person was killed.

The incident involved the M/V Global Patriot, a contractor cargo ship, which was operating on behalf of the Military Sealift Command. An armed military security team was on board for the canal transit.
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But an Egyptian security official told The AP that after the warning shots, further gunfire killed one man in the small boat and wounded three others.

Abbas al-Amrikani, the head of the Suez seaman's union, told AP the dead man was Mohammed Fouad, a 27-year-old father of three.

Reuters/LA Times (3/25/08) U.S. warship fires on Egyptian craft, killing one. According to this report, a U.S. warship fired on a small Egyptian motor boat killing one person and wounding two others.

ISMAILIA, Egypt -- A U.S. warship fired on a motor boat in the Gulf of Suez today, killing one Egyptian and wounding two others, Egyptian security sources and witnesses said.

The U.S. ship Global Patriot fired on the Egyptian vessel after it ignored calls to stay away, the sources said.

The Egyptian vessel was carrying goods to sell to ships passing through the Suez Canal, a transit for U.S. ships heading to the Gulf, the sources said.

The U.S. ship had been awaiting permission to pass through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, the sources added.

CNN apparently discredits that the ship was fired on.

Global Patriot "is a multi-purpose Ro-Lo vessel" owned by Global Container Lines, and is contracted to the U.S. Navy.

The Maritime Administration announces that Global Container Lines, (GCL) has acquired U.S.-flag service with the recent acquisition of the multipurpose Roll-On\Lift Off (RoLo) vessel GLOBAL PATRIOT. The vessel is available for transporting shipments under the cargo preference laws. The multipurpose vessel is ideally suited for carriage of rolling stock, containers, project cargo, heavy lifts, break bulk, and bulk cargo.

The GLOBAL PATRIOT will be primarily trading between the U.S. Gulf, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and East Africa. All other destinations will be considered on an inducement basis. To learn more about Global Container Lines, visit the web site: http://www.gogcl.com.

MARAD along with the maritime industry welcomes Global Container Lines as America's newest U.S.-flag carrier. Marad, (Feb 2005)

According to the Napa Valley Register, Global Patriot is "under short term charter to the navy's Military Sealift Command." Since the contract (or one of them) for the boat was initiated in 2005, one might ask what "short term" implies.

One might wonder why small boats were roaming around "big" boats. Apparently, this is a common practice. These small boat runners might be considered small businesses as they run around selling cigarettes and other items to vessels passing through. Unfortunately for the folks involved in the incident, "the same rules of engagement applied for war ships as for those under contract," according to Lydia Robertson - spokesperson for the Fifth Fleet (Napa Valley).

Most reports say that one Egyptian was killed and two wounded. However, at this time, there is no information on the response of the Egyptian government, though reportedly the U.S. is assisting in the investigation.

As of Weds 3/26/08, the U.S., Egypt disagree over Suez shooting, fueling suspicion. Stack. CSM. 3/26/08