Russian tall ship in doubt for Falmouth
8:19pm Tuesday 10th June 2008
Comments (2)International politics is threatening to spoil part of the Funchal 500 Regatta due to start from Falmouth in September with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs prohibiting the world's largest sail training vessel the Sedov from berthing at UK ports as the political relationship between the Kremlin and Downing Street cools.
It is understood that representatives of the local Funchal 500 organizing committee are contacting the British embassy in order to resolve the situation. Sedov and the barque Mir are two of the Class A ships. In May the Sedov was banned from visiting Southend.
It is not known whether or not the ban applies to the Mir. The company operating voyages on the Sedov said that they intend to embark trainees onboard the ship in Rotterdam from where the ship will sail for Falmouth to be on the start line with other competitors on September 13. Student sailors are already being informed they will have to join in Rotterdam.
The entry list for the race has now closed with an impressive eight Class A ships heading to Falmouth for the first leg of the race to Ilhavo (Port of Aveiro), Portugal (20 - 23 September). From there the Tall Ships will race to Funchal, Madeira for a Maritime Festival and major celebrations in the city (2 - 5 October). The Class A ships are the Alexander von Humboldt, Astrid, Capitan Miranda, Cuahtemoc, Kaliakra, Pogoria, Principe Perfeito and the Shabab Oman.
Relations between the UK and Russia worsened following the death in London of former KGB man Alexander Litvinenko who was poisoned by radioactive polonium-210. On his deathbed Litvinenko accused Russia's Secret Security Services and Vladimir Putin's government was behind the poisoning.
Built in 1921 as the Magdalene Vinnen for FA Vinnen, the Sedov was designed as a cargo carrying cadet ship to run between the West Coast of South America and Europe in the nitrate trade.
The Magdalene Vinnen joined the Australian Grain ship Fleet in 1931 when she was one of 15 ships that loaded grain in the Spencer Gulf for the United Kingdom. She passed Lizard Point on September 14 1931 after an 89 day passage. In 1934 she made a 91 day passage from Port Victoria to Plymouth. And the following year the barque arrived at Falmouth for orders having made a 99 day voyage from Australia.
Your Say YourFalmouth Packet
Reginald, Plymouth says...
7:33pm Fri 4 Jul 08
Russian Federation commercial vessel forbidden from docking in British port.
Bona-fide creditors on watch. ____________________
____________________
____
On May 1st 2008 SEDOV, the world's largest tall ship and a superb ambassador for Russia, received instructions to avoid docking as planned at Southend-On-Sea.
A joint visit to Falmouth by SEDOV and MIR, another Russian tall ship, planned for September, is also in jeopardy.
* * * *
PLYMOUTH, July 2nd 2008: Last year Russia threatened HM's government with cancelling transport to London of hundreds of works of art scheduled to be loaned by Russian public collections to the Royal Academy for its temporary "From Russia" exhibition.
These paintings were at risk of being seized in the UK by the heirs to their initial owners, Russian private collectioners from whom they had been seized by the Bolsheviks in 1917, and the British Parliament was made to rush forward implementation of a piece of legislation to the specific effect of granting immunity from seizure to certain cultural objects on loan to public exhibitions. Only then did Moscow feel sufficiently secure to authorise transport of the paintings.
But SEDOV is not a painting. In France where creditors of Russia are in abundance she has often been at risk of seizure despite the French government's and judicial system's hostility to creditors, and in 2002 she had to unexpectedly cast off in Marseilles in the middle of the night to avoid a writ which she had learned was about to be served the following morning on behalf of Association Francaise des Porteurs d'Emprunts Russes.
SEDOV, scheduled to dock in Southend on May 1st, was suddenly instructed not to do so.
It is understood the Russian Federation issued a statement saying Britain was not suitable for visits by Russian vessels.
For over a year French holders of defaulted Russian bonds have been warning they would reorganise in order to take their claims abroad so as to take advantage of the Anglo-Saxon context where rights of the private citizen are held in greater respect than in France. This has now been done.
Mr. Eric SANITAS, President of the newly formed group of defaulted bondholders AFIPER, said "I am convinced it is to avoid a repetition of the Marseilles scenario and to escape any seizure attempt in British waters on behalf of its creditors that the Russian Federation has instructed SEDOV not to dock in Southend".
Citizens of Southend, who had purchased tickets to go on board SEDOV, were offered the choice between a full refund and an alternative boarding of another tall ship, ARTEMIS flying the Dutch ensign.
Both SEDOV and MIR were scheduled to visit Falmouth in September and we have learned both these visits may also be cancelled.
Sedov in Falmouth
In this section
- Penryn dance group to perform with Flava
- Falmouth fire brigade take on residents in pasty-off
- Falmouth Church Army appointment
- Falmouth marine school staff praised
- Reward for Mylor pump
- Penryn vets to do charity work in Sri Lanka
- Company fined after admitting Fal pollution
- Penryn Charter celebrations under way
- Falmouth Week countdown
- What do you think of Falmouth?
Sponsored Links
Local Advertisers
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Sammy Smith, says...
11:49pm Tue 10 Jun 08