Iraqi BTR-4 shipment heads back to Ukraine

Jeremy Binnie, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
29 December 2013

A shipment of BTR-4 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) is on its way back to Ukraine after being rejected by Iraq.

Several Ukrainian media organisations reported on 27 December that the ship carrying 40 BTR-4s - SE Pacifica (IMO: 9431460) - is returning the vehicles to Ukraine.

While the state arms export company Ukrspetseksport declined to confirm the reports, IHS Maritime data shows that the SE Pacifica passed through the Suez Canal on the 28 December and was heading towards the Bosporus.

The ship left Ukraine in March 2013 and arrived in Iraqi waters on 25 April, but was not allowed to unload, reportedly because the Iraqis were unhappy with the quality of the vehicles, and then spent months floating in the Gulf.

Iraq Accuses Ukraine of Selling Inferior Armored Vehicles

20:43 28/02/2013

DUBAI, February 28 (RIA Novosti) - A senior Iraqi lawmaker on Thursday accused Ukraine of delivering low-quality armored personnel carriers and breaching the delivery terms of a contract signed in 2009.

“A probe into Ukrainian arms deliveries to Iraq revealed corruption with regard to Part 3 of the contract, concerning the sale of 420 armored personnel carriers, of which only about 100 have been delivered to date despite the fact that the contract was ratified several years ago,” Shiwan Muhammad Taha, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s security and defense commission, said in an interview with RIA Novosti’s Arabic-language newswire.

All the BTR-4 vehicles delivered so far have “very old, rusty bodies,” he said, adding that “the machines are dysfunctional.”

The Iraqi parliament has urged the government to set up a special committee to investigate the contract’s implementation and sue those responsible, Taha said.

Iraqi Defense Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi will shortly be summoned to parliament to explain the situation, he said.

There has been no comment from Ukraine as of late Thursday afternoon.

Earlier this month, Iraq’s parliamentary anticorruption commission circulated an in-house report on violations revealed in the implementation of the Ukrainian-Iraqi arms contract, including the $456 million BTR-4 deal.

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest arms sellers.

In 2009, Ukraine and Iraq signed a $2.4 billion contract for the delivery of armored vehicles, aircraft and related equipment, and precision guided weapon systems, as well as the provision of modernization and maintenance services. The contract has been on the verge of termination several times over delivery delays.

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