Martin

Naval officer and passionate sailor. Democracy, science and security – "Know thyself", "Nothing in excess", "Give a pledge and trouble is at hand"

[Sam Eckholm @sameckholm]

A $200M stealth warship built to vanish from radar and sonar.

We spent 24 hours underway with the Swedish Navy aboard their Visby-class corvette for the newest episode of Access Granted 🇸🇪.

Full episode live on my channel.

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

@DracoPoliticus @visegrad24 Ever heard of deterrence?

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

Moscow burning. Karma in its purest form.

[Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 @andrii_sybiha]

By striking the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, one of the greatest holy sites of Christianity, Putin has forever put his name on the list of history’s worst barbarians.

He should be damned for centuries. And he will lose this war.

From the Horde in the 13th century to the Nazis and Bolsheviks in the 20th century, Kyiv’s sacred monasteries have suffered numerous barbarically attacks.

Now we are dealing with Russian terrorists who have already outmatched ISIS in their crimes against cultural heritage. Only Russian scum who have nothing sacred can deliberately damage the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a unique UNESCO heritage site under special protection.

We will be urgently initiating all relevant procedures within UNESCO and all other international mechanisms, demanding immediate and adequate responses to this state barbarism.

We expect strong reactions by international institutions and capitals. No vague words, silence, or weak steps. We need action now to stop Russian barbarism.

[Jamming @balticjam]

”A [Swedish] Coast Guard patrol suddenly experienced equipment malfunctions off Varberg.
A mysterious boat was nearby – a Finnish man and a Russian woman on board were detained”

https://t.co/pb4vv01R1c

[Rt. Hon Ben Wallace @BenWallace70]

@AlistairCarns @JuliaHB1 Al was one of my very best commanders when i was in post. The MOD needs him. This Government needs his knowledge and leadership. If no.10 wont listen to him and Healey we really are screwed.

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

A critical moment for the British leadership. ”Our commitment to Ukraine and European security is ironclad”. Just hot air, or not?

[Al Carns @AlistairCarns]

We owe those who serve the UK the kit to do the job and the loyalty to stand by them when it's done. We are failing on both.

I’ve spent my whole time in government making that case. Number 10 will not listen, so I am resigning as Minister for the Armed Forces.

Letter to the PM below.🫡🫡🫡⬇️⬇️

[Oscar Jonsson @OAJonsson]

Som jämförelse kan FR uppbåda ~1 division, DE kan snällt räknat få ihop 1, och UK väldigt snällt räknat få ihop 1 division.

”nya satellitbilder visar den ryska upprustningen som väntas landa på 8 divisioner i Sveriges närområde”

https://t.co/ouwQdWmNji

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

@PH_OSINT @BartGonnissen @Glenn_Diesen Russia do not (for now) want a proper war with NATO. They therefore escalate horizontally through hybrid activities. This is a horizontal response in a attempt not to escalate militarily, enforce sanctions and punish sanctions evasion. But the trajectory is negative.

[(((Tendar))) @Tendar]

The successful Ukrainian strikes against targets in the Russian Leningrad region, especially the one against the 15th Naval Arsenal west of Saint Petersburg, led to partial evacuation of the Lomonosov town close to it. This is reported by some TG channels and would be only logical based on the circulating footage.

Ukrainian drones also targeted the V. A. Fock Institute of Physics as well as the maritime base in Kronstadt. It is another example how Ukrainian drone technology has exceeded Russian capabilities in protecting crucial centers of Russia's army and industry.

Another absolute embarrassment for Russians and Putin.

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

@Cylinderhatt @nHenrikJ @klart_skepp Sant. Skillnaden är att den spetsiga delen av ubåtsvapnet knappt är fler en ett par kompanier i Armén.

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

@en_sexa_malt @klart_skepp Många billiga kan inte lösa samma uppgifter.

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

@NotWoofers Agree. Looks like the complete mast with sensors and cabling collapsed. Fire burning through the sides och the superstructure.

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

@nHenrikJ Mastarrangemang med alla sensorer och tillhörande kablage. Hela bryggan och stora delar av överbyggnaden. Jag skulle gissa på totalförlust. Blir nog reservdelsbåt.

[Urban Ahlin, Ambassador of Sweden to USA @SwedeninUSA]

“Sweden and Finland have actually contributed [to NATO] because they brought their own defense industry, their own advanced technologies.

So they've been a great partner. They've been an extraordinary partner.”

- 🇺🇸 @SecRubio during yesterday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing

#AlliedSecurityProvider

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

@BartGonnissen @Glenn_Diesen You’re right of course. But they were agreed on for a reason. I’m afraid we are on a trajectory of a race towards the bottom. And that benefits no one.

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

@auonsson My main takeaway is the last sentence ”The easiest way to mess up a good idea is to bury it in big-navy requirements and trust it to a Prime”.

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

@johnkrempasky @auonsson Agree, but think Baltic Sea and the Danish Straits instead.

[Bart 🌊⚓️ @BartGonnissen]

For the people who think MT TAGOR was an innocent victim, a few facts:
1. She was stateless (Madagascar does not have an open ship registry)
2. She had no valid insurance (so no big bad capitalist company you can ask for compensation when the ship would spill oil all over your precious coast)
3. The vessel had an abysmal safety record. Her last inspections revealed various defects (no working FiFi equipment, no working lifeboats, engine defects, ...)
4. She was not complying to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, meaning the crew was f*cked with regards to hygiene, pay and leave. Most of the shadow fleet ships confiscate the crew passports, so the crew is basically held hostage.
5. She had defects in her cargo handling equipment and nav equipment making point 2 a real possibility.
6. point 1 makes boarding (even in international waters) completely legal as per UN international maritime law
7. Boarding this vessel and preventing it for from sailing past our coasts prevents the average Joe and Jane (citizens or "proletariat" if you're inclined to use that word) having to pay for damages when this vessel would spill oil on our coast instead of that big bad shipping company
8. The tanker is managed by The Zulu Ships Management & Operation - Sole Proprietorship LLC, which also operates other tankers affiliated with Fractal Marine DMCC. (Office 105, Madinat Zayed Tower, Muroor Road, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.)
9. Zulu Ships Management is linked to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, the chief political advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran.
10. Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani uses corruption through his father's political influence at the highest levels of the Iranian regime to build and operate a huge fleet of tankers and container ships which have a history of safety and labour violations.
11. Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani is involved in illegal arms trading

[Martin @MartinDahlstrom]

Spot on.

[Bart 🌊⚓️ @BartGonnissen]

Hi Glenn, Bart here. I can explain international maritime law to you, and maybe you would then understand that freedom of navigation does not apply to stateless ships. This vessel is stateless as it was flying the flag of Madagascar but was not registered there. The reason? Because normally the flag state would be responsible for safety, security, and labour laws on board a ship. As the vessel is stateless, there is no flag state. As such, a port or coastal state has the authority (given by UN international maritime law) to board and detain a vessel to ascertain the nationality and basically act as a flag state. The coastal state is allowed to enforce these laws in international waters (the coastal state becomes the de facto flag state).
Why would we allow such a thing?
You see, when a ship would ground, sink, and/or get damaged and oil would spill on our coasts and kill birds, destroy the livelihood of fishermen, the tourist industry, and destroy nature, the insurance of the vessel would pay for the damages. As the vessel is stateless, there is no insurance company. So if a vessel were to flounder, the cost would fall on the citizens of the coastal state that got hit by the oil spill and not the shipping company. That's why, when UNCLOS 82 was negotiated, a lot of countries made sure that there were provisions so that a coastal state could take these vessels and remove them from our seas.
Now, concerning sanctions.
Of course, you can not enforce them in international waters on a ship flying a foreign flag. You would only be able to enforce those if the ship were flying the flag of your own country and/or if the ship were to sail in your territorial waters. (A vessel sailing through your territorial waters has to adhere to the laws of the coastal state and, as such, adhere to any sanctions, even unilateral sanctions.) But here's the thing. As I explained before, there is no flag state, so the coastal state has become the de facto flag state of the boarded vessel. And guess what... now the vessel has to adhere to unilateral sanctions.
I'm really happy I could explain this to you. Best regards