Martin You og Aker Group by the way, not only concentrates on cannon boat manipulations and the establishment of companies in Panama. information Orientering Sitting inside tells that the Aker Group delivers ships to the Israeli merchant fleet which can be converted into warships over a 48 hour period. We are referring to the fruit vessels Aker has built for the Israeli company Maritime Fruit Carriers Co. – who knew the company that is one of the main shareholders in the canoe boat company Starboat S / A.

Since November 1964, 10 ships have been delivered and several are under construction and planning. There are about 405 cubic feet of fruit vessels in the so-called
core group. Some of the boats names are Mangocore, Banancore, Mandarincore and Sabracore.

Fruit boat with helicopter platform

Orientering has been in contact with a senior Norwegian ship officer who has sailed on one of these ships. – I spoke to several Israeli officers on board who openly stated that these ships could be converted to warfare within 48 hours. Vessels that can be used for troop transport and for the transport of tanks and other military equipment. – I've been on board some Norwegian ships, the Norwegian officer says, – but this is the first time I've seen a fruit boat with a helicopter platform. Similarly, the ship plates were particularly thick and the booms particularly sustainable.

Orientering has submitted certain technical specifications for shipowners who can confirm the ship officer's information that the structures on these fruit boats are "unusually solid".

Persons Orientering has contacted at Aker can tell that the boats are made with reinforcements for placement of cannons. Some also claimed that these fruit boats are so fast – 22 miles per day. hour that they must be built primarily with a view to war.

The matter is not interesting

"This case is not interesting," says Deputy Chief Tim Greve of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Orientering. – Personally, I would warn against philosophizing about Norwegian export products, including ships, may be used. It is a known case that both Israel and Egypt is fully mobilizing, and they will certainly emphasize bringing parts of the merchant fleet under their control. The said case will not be affected by the Storting decision on Norwegian arms exports from -59, concludes Tim Greve, who asks us to contact the Ministry of Commerce.

information Orientering says Aker Group is supplying ships to the Israeli merchant fleet that can be converted into war vessels during a
48 hour period.

- When we are informed about contracting fruit boats, we assume that it is really about fruit boats, says expedition chief Dalstø in the Ministry of Trade. – The Ministry's approval in such cases is only pure formalities. If Aker receives certain specifications from an Israeli company, we can of course not check these specifications. In the case of the construction of warships, the situation is different. Then it is all assessed in each individual case, Dalstø concludes.

- The first boat we built for Maritime Fruit was delivered in November 1964, says Deputy Director Amundsen of the Aker Group.

- Who draws the boats?

- So do our cartoonists in the Aker group.

- But Israel has certain desires in terms of design?

- Of course, we aim for such wishes. This is common in all construction projects. Otherwise, it can be mentioned that the 10 boats so far delivered are the same.

No sabotage actions.
- How many more boats will you supply Maritime Fruit?

- We will not disclose that for commercial and financial reasons. By the way, we are very little excited about writing about this case that has nothing to do with the cannon boat case. We do not like the idea that certain Egyptian circles can merge two and two and arrive at a direct wrong conclusion.

It is no pleasant thought to perhaps get Egyptian sabotage actions here at Aker. It has been in other parts of the world. The foremost leaders in the Aker Group are the Director General Martin Siem and Mayor of the Supervisory Board, Consul General Erling Lind. Erling Lind's name is familiar to most people from his position with the regime in Greece. Martin Siem got his name in the world press – probably involuntarily – in connection with the cannon boat case. Although Siem claims that he acted solely as a private individual – and not as a leader of the Aker group – it is now becoming increasingly clear as new information is made known that Siem, as his CEO as CEO of the Aker Group, could make his kjempemanipulasjoner.

Giant manipulations

In any case, it may not be in Siem's ​​interest to elucidate the cannon boat case from several sides. He himself has done what he has been able to withhold as much information as possible. He has had a good partner in Israeli director Brener, who himself "has a small stake in the company (Starboat S / A), but the only connection between Starboat S / A and Maritime Fruit Carriers Co." is that he holds leadership positions in both companies ”. (NTB telegram December 30, 1969.)

The eyes of the whole world were directed at Norway when the five gunboats sailed from Cherbourg night to Christmas Day. The five boats were the last in a series of twelve and could not be legally delivered from France to Israel because de Gaulle stopped all weapons deliveries to the country on June 1, 5.

Only two days later did Martin Siem make a statement in which he emphasized that he was "a personal representative of a Panama-registered company that recently took over five fast-moving motor boats in Cherbourg".

In an interview with NTB (28/12), Siem's ​​CEO says: "My contact with the French salesmen was mostly on the technical side. Later, Siem first had to admit that it was he who had set up Starboat S / A in Panama on his own initiative, and on Wednesday, John Lyng was able to establish certain cases for them. state that it was Siem who had signed the purchase contracts in connection with the canon boat purchase.

All the time, Director Brener has tried to help his Norwegian colleague. As late as December 30, Brener said in an NTB interview that he did not know that Norwegians had anything to do with the transaction. – When Norway was involved in the case, it was in his opinion due to some unfortunate circumstances, – Christmas holidays, influenza epidemic and unmanned offices, which were not able to give the press accurate information.

A little glimpse

However, in a later interview, the tone has changed. It suddenly says: “He (dir. Siem) was also an old friend and business associate. The Aker Group has delivered a number of boats to this Israeli company in recent times. (Maritime Fruit Co.) When asked why the company was created now, Brener replied that it suited business well. Formally, it was Siem who had taken the initiative to form Starboat S / A.

Details of this affair should be unnecessary. For that, the daily press has covered the cannon boat scandal for good. Some newspapers claim that the oil drilling company Aker Drilling is also behind the cannon boats, and that is very possible. Several individual details and questions remain unanswered. And will certainly not be answered.

We and the world press have, in an "accident", got a glimpse of the daily manipulations of the shipping circuits. For we do not for a moment doubt that this affair is not unique either shipping circles or in the private business sector.

So behind the back of the Norwegian authorities, Akergruppen v / dir. Siem Fruit Ship, read: Warfare, to his "old friend" dir. Burning in Maritime Fruit. It is a serious transaction, a clear breach of Norwegian rules export of weapons and war materiel.

Israel recently ordered 50 Mirage Jet aircraft, an order that could not be executed due to the French embargo. Dir. For example, Siem can establish a new company in Panama or redevelop the fighter jets for passenger aircraft?

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