Boarder disputes

Work got interrupted yesterday after four small, “well equipped” Patrol boats carrying Iranian flag approached us and started calling us on the VHF. Iran's Revolutionary Guard, with serious fire power on their "roof tops"...(click on photo for enlargement.)
They politely inquired about the "normal stuff", what we are doing, vessel and crew details. After about 30 minutes of circling around our vessel, video filming and taken photos, they took off again towards Iranian waters. It turns out there is an on-going border dispute between Iran and UAE over a few Island in the Straits of Hormuz.
Probably only wanted to check us out, and at the same maybe intimidate a little bit.
 

Quite a polite and relaxed experience, compared to the extremely dangerous harassment I was exposed to a few years ago, with months of “big” Turkish warships, F16 fighter planes trying to stop us from carrying out our job. This prolonged harassment and dangerous interference,  were the last of a long range which together led to a diplomatic conflict, that just got “nipped in the but” before turning into full scale aggression I heard from a local source later (mobilizing military etc.) That is another long and still sensitive story. That I probably will have to wait until retirement with revealing all the details film and photo. (A couple of censored ones below though)

Graens dispyter.
Arbetet avbroets igaar naer fyra "vael utrustade" Iranska patrullbaatar naermade sig och boerjade anropa paa VHF'n. De fraagade artigt de vanliga fraagorna, vad vi hoell paa med vaara fartygs data och lite om besaettningen. De cirklade runt oss i c:a 30 minuter, filmade video och fotade sedan gav de sig ivaeg igen emot Iranskt vatten.
Det paagaar en territorial dispyt emellan Foerenade Arab Emiraten och Iran oever ett antal oear i Hormuz sundet. 
De skulle antagligen bara kolla vad jag hoell paa med och kanske ocksaa foersoeka faa mig lite nervoes.

Men det var en ganska artig och avslappad efarenhet, jaemfoert med vad jag erfor foer ett par aar sedan paa en annan Seismisk skuta. Med maanader av incidenter naer stoerre Turkiska krigsfartyg och F16 flygplan foersoekte stoppa vaart arbete. Dessa incidenter var de sista i en laang rad, vilka ledde till en allvarlig diplomatisk konflikt, vilken precis blev daempad innan det hann bryta ut vaepnad konflikt emellan laenderna. Jag fick hoera av en kaella i ett av laenderna att militaer mobiliserats och att det var vaeldigt naera. Detta aer en annan laang och fortvarande kaennslig historia, vilken jag foermodligen faar vaenta med att avsloeja detaljer, film och foto till efter min pensionering.   

 

Link to my drop box with a short film snippet.

Seismic crew cell-phone film from one of the events, not knowing nationality of the war planes, thinking it was the Greek air force, coming as our support after the prolonged harassment from the Turkish navy. 

Only after examining the photos seeing the Turkish markings of the F16 planes.

 

Turkish Navy and Air force "Mock Attack"

 Radar picture from the most traumatic, "mock attack" when the two war ships turned against my stern in high speed, I thought they where going to take out my equipment aft(6 gun arrays(Floats), and one 10 km streamer(Cable) with tail buoy most aft. Same time two F16 fighter jets, repeatedly simulating attacks, low altitude dives towards our vessel. The two war ships altered course and run parallel again, but the F16 planes where continuing for 40 minutes. And they came low,  ...it was noisy...

The ordeal continued...

Sometimes two, but most of the time only one vessel, day and night, for months, interfering, disturbing and hampering our operation.

More photos and extracts from my ships log, including my letter of protest to UN branch IMO, will be posted shortly.

 This photo, and film link above, by courtesy of one seismic crew, UK Chief Observer in the fore ground.