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CNN Live At Daybreak
First Aid Ship to Arrive at Umm Qasr Port
Aired March 28, 2003 - 06:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to go to Kuwait City right now. Bill Hemmer has some new information on this humanitarian shipment we have been following all morning heading toward Umm Qasr.
Bill -- what can you tell us?
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, thanks.
We've been talking about this every day of the week. It was supposed to come in yesterday, delayed another 24 hours, the Sir Galahad, loaded with 200 tons of humanitarian aid, much needed food and supplies in southern Iraq.
Becky Diamond is on board an Australian ship right near the port, a minesweeper, and mines are the very thing that delayed this ship until today. But now it looks like its making progress.
Becky -- what do you have from you?
BECKY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, it was a terrific morning for the HMAS Kinambla. This is a ship that oversees the coordination of minesweeping operations.
And on the deck this morning the sailors could see the Sir Galahad passing through just about 1,000 feet off the ship's starboard side. They were taking pictures. They were quite excited about it.
Now, the ship had been delayed several days because of mine threats in the area, in the water. Navy divers and minesweepers had detected possible mine-like objects, and they had detonated them. These objects had had a secondary explosion, which caused some concern. It means that there were explosives within the objects.
Now, keep in mind a lot of underwater objects are detonated, but they dont always have a second explosion. So this caused some concern, and it prompted officials to delay the Sir Galahad.
So this morning about 9:00 a.m. local time the ship went through, and it was a coalition show of force. It was led by a British minesweeper, then the Sir Galahad, and it was followed by a Kuwaiti, an American and a British patrol boat -- Bill.
HEMMER: Becky, thanks -- Becky Diamond there outside the port city of Umm Qasr.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired March 28, 2003 - 06:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to go to Kuwait City right now. Bill Hemmer has some new information on this humanitarian shipment we have been following all morning heading toward Umm Qasr.
Bill -- what can you tell us?
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, thanks.
We've been talking about this every day of the week. It was supposed to come in yesterday, delayed another 24 hours, the Sir Galahad, loaded with 200 tons of humanitarian aid, much needed food and supplies in southern Iraq.
Becky Diamond is on board an Australian ship right near the port, a minesweeper, and mines are the very thing that delayed this ship until today. But now it looks like its making progress.
Becky -- what do you have from you?
BECKY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, it was a terrific morning for the HMAS Kinambla. This is a ship that oversees the coordination of minesweeping operations.
And on the deck this morning the sailors could see the Sir Galahad passing through just about 1,000 feet off the ship's starboard side. They were taking pictures. They were quite excited about it.
Now, the ship had been delayed several days because of mine threats in the area, in the water. Navy divers and minesweepers had detected possible mine-like objects, and they had detonated them. These objects had had a secondary explosion, which caused some concern. It means that there were explosives within the objects.
Now, keep in mind a lot of underwater objects are detonated, but they dont always have a second explosion. So this caused some concern, and it prompted officials to delay the Sir Galahad.
So this morning about 9:00 a.m. local time the ship went through, and it was a coalition show of force. It was led by a British minesweeper, then the Sir Galahad, and it was followed by a Kuwaiti, an American and a British patrol boat -- Bill.
HEMMER: Becky, thanks -- Becky Diamond there outside the port city of Umm Qasr.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
