Libyan Rebels Capture Gaddafi Supply Vessel

Last Friday, while observing the surge of a number of warships by NATO countries, it was said that NATO was setting up a blockade around Libya as part of an arms embargo.

As I understand it, this blockade does exist, but somehow there was a ship that got past the NATO arms embargo. At the time I thought NATO was putting on a dog and pony show because no one had heard of any arms ship. I likened the situation to a phantom fleet of smugglers heading for Tripoli. Turns out, I was wrong.

Based on a bit of research, it appears there may have been an arms ship after all, although I have no idea if NATO was actually concerned about it because the ship appears to have in fact reached Tripoli. News about this ship was discussed on Al Jazeera Arabic.

March 14 19:09 Al Jazeera Arabic caller just reported that an eyewitness confirmed to him that a ship with a Greek flag berthed in Tripoli Port last Friday at 6pm. The ship was being unloaded with armoured personnel carriers and military equipment. The unloading continued from 6pm on Friday till 10am on Saturday

The irony here is that if this report is accurate, when I was posting at midnight on Friday March 11th this ship would have been about to pull into Tripoli. That raises the question, if this ship is real then where was the NATO blockade?

I bring this up to note another Greek flagged ship was captured by rebels in Benghazi two days ago. Here, here, and here are the pictures of this captured tanker uploaded from someone in Benghazi. Are tankers not on the list of supplies embargoed by NATO?

Why does it appear the NATO blockade has holes in it, and why are Greek flagged ships getting passed the blockade? Does this blockade not actually exist? Was the first ship not real? If the first ship wasn't real, where are the arms smuggling ships that NATO was worried enough about to set up the blockade in the first place?

The communication environment for facts regarding Libya really sucks. On one hand we have the western media quoting Libyan State Television, which is the same as quoting Baghdad Bob. On the other hand there are about a dozen independent reports in Libya that are doing the best they can, but supported by many folks who are trying to provide information from the rebel perspective on the ground.

If anything, maybe the UN Security Council could pass a resolution that encourages NATO to share with the world some information regarding what is actually happening in Libya. At worst, it would perhaps give the rebels fighting Gaddafi a sense that the whole world isn't against them by quoting everything said by mouthpieces in Tripoli as fact. Just a thought.