Ukraine's state-run arms exporter Ukrspecexport has neither denied nor confirmed media reports about the problems with the delivery of a batch of 40 Ukrainian-made BTR-4 armored personnel carriers handed over to the Iraqi customer in February, because of alleged cracks in the vehicles' hulls.
“The state-owned company does not comment on the details of the
contract with the Republic of Iraq for the supply of the armored
vehicles to the country because of the confidential nature of this
information,” Ukrspecexport’s press service said in a statement
available to Interfax-Ukraine.
“The fulfillment of this contract is proceeding normally. The company
will officially announce the completion of the next stage of the
contract,” reads the statement.
On Friday, a number of Ukrainian media reported that the Singaporean
ship SE PACIFICA with a cargo of Ukrainian armored vehicles for the
Iraqi army has been staying in the neutral waters in the Gulf for three
months now, because of the reluctance of Baghdad to accept the shipment.
According to their report, the BTR-4 personnel carriers delivered to
the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr were allegedly defective, with cracks in
their hulls, and the Iraqi customer refused to take delivery of them on
shore. At present, the ship is anchored in neutral waters – about
equidistant from Kuwait, Iran and Iraq, waiting for the situation to be
resolved. While the Ukrainian representatives are trying to resolve the
situation in Iraq, the owners of the ship have not ruled out unloading
the equipment in the port of a third country, and then applying to court
asking it to arrest the shipment.
As reported, a contract worth over $550 million for the supply of the
Ukrainian military hardware to Iraq was concluded in 2009. In
particular, Ukraine was to supply Iraq with six An-32 light transport
aircraft and 420 BTR-4 armored personnel carriers.
Among the key Ukrainian contractors are the Kharkiv-based Morozov
design and engineering bureau, the Kharkiv engine design bureau, and the
Malyshev plant, all of which belong to the Ukroboronprom concern, as
well as Kyiv-based Antonov enterprise.
Deliveries of the aircraft were finished in 2012.
Iraq received the first batch of 26 BTR-4s in spring 2011 and the
second batch of 62 vehicles in autumn 2012. The third batch of 40 BTR-4
armored personnel carriers was shipped to Iraq in February.
