Uruguay denies entry to ship

[Judi Lynn]

Uruguay denies entry to ship
September 21, 2010 - 7:49AM
AFP

Uruguay has denied entry to a British warship bound for the Falklands, the South Atlantic archipelago claimed by Britain and Argentina, an Uruguayan navy source said on Monday.

"The request for entry by the frigate HMS Gloucester D-96, charged with guarding the Malvinas islands, was denied by the foreign ministry, without the navy having to get involved," said the source on condition of anonymity.

The Malvinas is the Spanish name for the Falklands, which Britain and Argentina went to war over in 1982.

The remote cluster of islands have an economy based largely on sheep raising and fishing, but in recent years British firms have begun exploring for oil offshore.

The Gloucester, which has a crew of about 200 persons, last week sought to take on supplies and fuel in Montevideo, the nearest port to the Falklands after Argentina.

Argentine ports have been closed to British warships since the Falkands war.

More:
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/uruguay-denies-entry-to-ship-20100921-15k3b.html

[bahrbearian]

1. Isn't Uruguay land locked

[Judi Lynn]

2. Not exactly. Here's a look at Uruguay. I think it's Paraguay you're thinking of:

http://www.mapzones.com.nyud.net:8090/world/south_america/uruguay/uruguay.jpg http://www.mrdowling.com.nyud.net:8090/712map.gif

[14thColony]

3. You're thinking of Paraguay

Easy to confuse the two. Uruguay's Montevideo harbor is one of the largest ports in South America.

[rabs]

4. Paraguay: True, no ocean coastline

But Paraguay does have shipping access to the Atlantic. The notion that it is completely landlocked comes from shallow reporting in the media.

Asuncion, the capital, and the city of Encarnacion further south both have ports that can receive ocean-going freighters.

The Paraguay River and the Parana River to the east are Missisippi-sized rivers that allow freighters, although small compared to today's carriers, to travel several hundred kilometers upstream.

I was in Asuncion a lot of years ago and walked down to the port area where there were several ships. What struck me was the number of Mercedes-Benz cars that were being unloaded. This was during the Strossner dictatorship, when Paraguay was known to be a smuggler's paradise. Many of those cars were smuggled to neighboring Argentina and Brazil.

Location of Paraguayan ports (map)
http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/PRY.php

----------------------

Ports and terminals: Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion

Definition: This entry lists major ports and terminals primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of containers handled or ship visits were also considered.

Source: CIA World Factbook - Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of February 19, 2010

http://www.indexmundi.com/paraguay/ports_and_terminals.html

[14thColony]

5. "Landlocked" usually refers to lack of direct ocean access

If a country's access to the open ocean is subject to the good graces of another country (e.g., the river that leads to the sea runs through another state's territory) or could be easily closed off by another country (often river access again) then it can be said to be landlocked.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Argentina president thanks Uruguay over Royal Navy snub

Argentina president thanks Uruguay over Royal Navy snub
23 September 2010
By Michael Powell
Defence correspondent

The President of Argentina has thanked Uruguay for denying a Portsmouth warship entry into its capital port.

Argentina's president Cristina Kirchner launched a video in which she thanks Uruguay's head of state José Mujica for 'having respected all Argentines' by not allowing HMS Gloucester in to Montevideo.

Uruguay pulled the plug on a routine visit from Gloucester last week in a show of solidarity with Argentina in their ongoing claim to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

Uruguay's president has since called British Ambassador Patrick Mullee and the British Foreign Affairs ministry to explain the decision, saying it is is a 'priority' his government aligns with Argentina over the 'very delicate' Falklands issue.

More:
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/Argentina-president-thanks-Uruguay-over.6547056.jp