MV Global Patriot

Reader Draven wrote in a comment:

"Sig, the story is missing a bit of info. Apparently, the poor oppressed vendor's wares were 'surplus military', according to several sources."

I have been looking for a source for this but so far have not been able to come up with anything credible. I checked the Navy Dispatch and got this so far:

Warning shots fired in the Suez Canal
MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- The Global Patriot, a ship on short term charter to the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, fired warning shots at a small boat approaching the ship as it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal March 24. Initially, there were no reports from the Global Patriot of casualties. Global Patriot was approached by several boats while preparing to transit the Suez Canal. The boats were hailed and warned by a native Arabic speaker on the Global Patriot to advise them to turn away. Other warning steps, including a signal flare, were used to caution the boats.

One small boat continued to approach the ship and received two sets of warning shots 20-30 meters in front of the boat's bow. All shots were accounted for as they entered the water.

The incident is under investigation. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet Command is cooperating with Egyptian authorities, including the Suez Canal authorities, through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

An undated file photo of the U. S.-flagged multi-purpose cargo ship MV Global Patriot. U.S. Navy photo

U.S. 5th Fleet to work with Egyptian family following shooting MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet has expressed regret for the death of an Egyptian citizen who died March 24, an apparent result from warning shots fired at a small boat approaching a ship chartered by the U.S. Navy. "We express our deepest sympathies to the family of the deceased," said Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff, Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet. "We are greatly saddened by events that apparently resulted in this accidental death. This situation is tragic, and we will do our utmost to help take care of the family of the deceased."

The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet Command is continuing to work cooperatively with Egyptian authorities, including the Suez Canal authorities through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, to fully investigate this incident. "We will work through the investigation very thoroughly, coordinating with authorities and the embassy, to get a full and transparent account of what happened," Cosgriff stated.

An embarked U.S. security team on board the Navy's Military Sealift Command ship Global Patriot fired warning shots at a small boat approaching the ship as it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal Monday night at approximately 8 p.m. Two other boats had also approached the chartered ship but turned away following warnings from Global Patriot.

But nothing on whether or not the small craft was transporting military surplus supplies.

If anyone has a link, please send it to me.