MV Rachel Corrie

MV Rachel Corrie is a 499 GT coaster owned and operated by the Free Gaza Movement.[1] The ship is named in honour of Rachel Corrie, a deceased member of the International Solidarity Movement. Built by J.J. Sietas in Hamburg in 1967, she was originally named Carsten; she has also carried the names Norasia Attika, Manya and more recently Linda.

MV Rachel Corrie
History
Name:
  • Carsten (1967–1993)
  • Norasia Attika (1993–2000)
  • Manya (2000–2003)
  • Linda (2003–2010)
  • Rachel Corrie (from 2010)
Namesake: Rachel Corrie
Owner:
  • P Buck (1993–94)
  • Ariadna Shipping Ltd (1994–2003)
  • LSA Hansa Bunkering Ltd (2003–05)
  • Lackner Ventures Ltd (2005–2010)
  • Free Gaza Movement (from 2010)
Operator:
  • H Moller (1994–2004)
  • Hanza Bunkering Ltd (2004–05)
  • Forestry Shipping Ltd (2005)
  • Eestinva (2005–2010)
  • Free Gaza Movement (from 2010)
Port of registry:
  • Antigua (1993–2000)
  • Kingstown (2000–2003)
  • Latvia (2003–05)
  • Phnom Penh (since 2005)
Builder: J J Sietas, Hamburg
Yard number: 625
Completed: May 1967
Homeport: Dundalk (since 2010)
Identification:
General characteristics
Class and type: Coaster
Tonnage:
Length: 68.43 m (224 ft 6 in)
Beam: 10.52 m (34 ft 6 in)
Depth: 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in)
Installed power: Deutz diesel engine
Propulsion: Screw propellor
Speed: 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h)
Blockade of the
Gaza Strip
Crossings
2004
Philadelphi Accord
2006
Economic sanctions
2007
Fatah–Hamas battle
2008
2009
Viva Palestina "Lifeline 3"
2010
Freedom Flotilla
Other convoys
2011
2012–2014
Gaza's Ark
2015
Freedom Flotilla III
2016
Women's Boat to Gaza
2018
Just Future For Palestine Flotilla

In June 2010 the vessel was intercepted by Israeli Defence Forces while attempting to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip and to deliver humanitarian aid.[2]

Description

The ship was built as yard number 625 by J J Sietas, Germany. Completed in May 1967, she is 68.43 metres (224 ft 6 in) long, with a beam of 10.52 metres (34 ft 6 in) and a depth of 6.25 metres (20 ft 6 in). The ship is powered by a Deutz diesel engine which can propel her at 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h).[3]

History

Early history

Originally named Carsten, she was sold in 1993 to P Buck, Antigua and renamed Norasia Attika. She was sold on 8 December that year to Ariadna Shipping Ltd, St Vincent. On 1 February 1994 she was placed under the management of H Möller KG, Germany. She was renamed Manya on 24 November 2000. On 23 February 2004 she was sold to Hanza Bunkering Ltd. She was renamed Linda on 24 November 2003. On 30 August 2005 she was sold to Lackner Ventures Ltd. On 28 November 2005, she was placed under the management of Eestinova.[3]

Linda was used by Guinness for exporting beer before being converted for use as a freighter.[4] Her port of registry was Phnom Penh.[5] The IMO Number 6715281 and MMSI Number 515886000 are allocated. Rachel Corrie uses the Callsign XUJW8.[6]

1999–2009

By 2009, the ship had been bringing timber into Dundalk, Ireland from the Baltic for the previous 10 years.[7] At the end of July that year, the Cambodian-registered vessel and its crew were abandoned by its owners, Forestry Shipping, of Riga, a company which has gone out of business.[8][9] The crew were left with one day's food and were owed arrears of pay that totaled €42,000. With the assistance of the Irish union SIPTU, an affiliate of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), they were repatriated to their home countries in November 2009.

2009–present

After being seized by the High Court on behalf of the ITF, the ship was sold at auction in Dundalk for €70,000 to the Free Gaza Movement on 30 March 2010. This enabled ITF Inspector Ken Fleming to pay the crew their arrears. It was outfitted at Brown's Quay in Dundalk, Ireland, for use in a voyage to Gaza. While there, a significant amount of navigational equipment worth between €15,000 and €20,000 was stolen from the vessel.[4]

The ship was renamed in honor of Rachel Corrie, an American college student crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer while trying to prevent a house demolition in Gaza.[10] The vessel was launched on 12 May 2010 from Dundalk with the full title MV Rachel Corrie.[11][12]

2010 Gaza journey
Main article: Gaza journey of MV Rachel Corrie

MV Rachel Corrie had intended to sail with the six ships of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, but was unable to join the other ships because of mechanical problems that forced it to undergo repairs in Malta,[13] possibly resulting from Israeli sabotage.[14] The other six ships were confronted by a raid on 30 May 2010. In the violent clashes that followed, nine Turkish activists were killed and several dozen activists and ten IDF soldiers were injured.[15]

The ship got underway on 31 May 2010, with her crew insisting that they would go to Gaza.[13] Despite repeated requests by the Irish Government and others to let the ship through to Gaza, Israeli commandos boarded the ship from speed boats at around noon on 5 June 2010, in international waters about 30 kilometres (16 nmi) from Gaza, seized control, and took ship and passengers to Israel.[16]

References
  1. Peter Walker (1 June 2010). "Irish aid boat holds course towards Gaza despite Israel warning". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  2. Berger, Robert. Israeli Navy Intercepts Aid Ship Headed for Gaza. Archived 15 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Voice of America. 5 June 2010.
  3. "Manya" (PDF). Merchant Ships International. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  4. Ó Snodaigh, Aengus; Morgan, Arthur (13 May 2010). "Free Gaza Campaign launch ship". An Phoblacht.
  5. Verlo, Eric (5 May 2010). "Gaza Freedom Flotilla building steam". Not my tribe. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  6. "Rachel Corrie (IMO: 6715281)". Vesseltracker. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  7. Margaret Roddy, Port comes to aid of stranded crew, The Argus, 26 August 2009.
  8. Terry Conlon, Crew to stay aboard ship for 'as long as it takes to get paid', Irish Times, 22 August 2009.
  9. "Auction of Seized MV Linda in Dundalk on Tuesday". SIPTU. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  10. Hadjicostis, Menelaos; Rising, David (4 June 2010). "New aid ship heads to Gaza, Israel vows to stop it". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  11. Elaine Keogh (31 March 2010). "€70,000 from auctioned ship to go to unpaid crew". Irish Times.
  12. Isabel Hurley (31 March 2010). "Abandoned ship to set sail with Gaza aid". Irish Independent.
  13. "Ship escapes Israeli raid after being delayed in Malta". The Times of Malta. 1 June 2010.
  14. "Israel releases last of activists seized on aid ships". The Hindu. Chennai, India. DPA. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  15. "Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship". BBC News. 31 May 2010.
  16. Laub, Karin (5 June 2010). "Israel remains defiant, seizes Gaza-bound aid ship". Associated Press. Retrieved 5 June 2010.

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