Is it a frogman or an underwater scooter?

Two hours after dawn on May 09, a powerful explosion rocked the commercial harbour of Trincomalee. As a fireball engulfed the logistic ship A 520, sailors on duty had their eyes and guns directed towards the night sky. Their first guess was that it was an air raid. It was only two weeks ago that the nascent air wing of the LTTE bombed, though largely unsuccessfully, the forward defence localities of Weli Oya.

When the confusion died down, the true picture of the incident emerged. An underwater explosion had ripped through a navy logistical ship, A 520, aka MV Invincible which was anchored in the Ashraff Jetty. The ship took the full brunt of the blast and in two hours, it went under water.

The attack is unlikely to have an impact on the capabilities of the SLN, but a sense of confusion prevailed over the nature of the attack.
It is highly likely that the attack was carried out by Black Tiger frogmen using magnetic sea mines which can be attached to the hull of ship.

Abortive attempt

It must be recalled that two LTTE frogmen were arrested on June 17, 2006 in an abortive attempt to blow up vessels berthed in the Colombo port using magnetic sea mines.

As recently as March 22 this year, the Dvora Fast Attack craft P 438 was blown up in a mystery blast – as the Navy described it – in the seas off Nayaru. Later, the rescue teams recovered parts of a magnetic mine in the vicinity of the blast.

There are concerns also as to whether the sea Tigers used an underwater scooter in the mission.

There were reports, dating back to as early as 2003 that the LTTE was looking for underwater scooters, which are commonly used for recreation activities and easily available through a web search. In April 2003, the LTTE agents negotiated to procure 34 sets of underwater scooters from Denmark.
A majority of the scooters are lightweight contraptions (15-20 kg), which could give an underwater speed of upto 1- 3 knots and could stay underwater at considerable depths for upto more than an hour. Using this device, a trained diver could easily remain underwater in the vicinity; carry enough explosives strapped on one’s person and carry out limited manoeuvres to and explode next to a patrol vessel without being spotted.
Though the scooters could not be used against FACs, given the latter’s superior speed, they can be used against vessels when they are anchored.
The ill-fated A 520, built in 1970, was formerly a cargo vessel which was seized by the Navy when it was transporting illegal migrants. The court handed over the ship to the Navy which converted it into a logistical ship.
The China Bay Naval harbour is guarded by a protective explosive net to fend off the sea Tiger frogmen.

However, the security precautions at the commercial harbour are generally lax.

Loss

The loss of A 520 is unlikely to have an impact on the Navy’s defence capabilities, yet, the attack and an earlier sinking of the P 438 off Nayaru had underscored that the sea Tigers have become increasingly innovative in their strategy. Needless to say, that the recent attacks are food for thought for the military top brass.

Meanwhile, pro LTTE Tamilnet website reported that Tiger “Commandos from Kangkai Amaran unit of the Sea Tigers took part in Saturday’s mission,. The unit was named after a senior commander of the Sea Tigers killed by Sri Lankan Army Deep Penetration Unit on 29 June 2001 in an attack in the Mannaar district”.

Navy Commander Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda had disclosed at a recent National Security Council meeting that due to the regular attacks by the Navy, the Sea Tiger fleet had been reduced to four indigenously built “Muraj” Fast Attack Craft, which is the sea Tiger’s equivalent to the Navy’s Dvora and sixteen suicide boats. However, some senior security forces commanders have a different opinion about sea Tiger capabilities.
It is understood that the May 09 attack was part of a greater plan to sabotage the provincial council vote in the East. The blast took place hours after a parcel bomb explosion killed 12 civilians and injured over 30 in Ampara. There are reports of LTTE attempts to infiltrate the East.
Late last month, police arrested a female suicide bomber, who confessed that she had been sent to assassinate a VIP during the run-up to the elections. She had told investigators that she arrived from the Wanni in a fishing boat. During the same period, the Army recovered an explosive laden brazier, which contained 3 kg of explosives and believed to have been brought to use against a VIP.
There is also intelligence warnings that the Tigers are planning to execute a sea landing in Kiran in the Batticaloa District. Thus, the security forces were kept on alert. There are also reports that the LTTE is attempting to dispatch Keerthi, the former intelligence leader of Ampara. According to military intelligence sources, the army had successfully dismantled the LTTE’s communication network in the East. Hence the decision to send Keerthi to re-establish Tiger cells in the East.
On Tuesday (06), troops confronted a team of Tiger cadres in Meegasgodalla, Sittaru in the Trincomalee District.
The Army said troops attacked a four-member team of LTTE cadres, killing two of them. Two bodies of the slain Tiger cadres were recovered. It is believed that the team of LTTE cadres was a part of a much larger team sent to disrupt election activities in the region.
These developments are taking place as the Eastern Province voted in a keenly contested election. Election Day was marred by shelling of a remote village of Pannalagama in the Ampara District by the LTTE. Four civilians were injured.

The developments in the East could divert the attention from the Wanni front where troops are inching deeper into the Tiger hinterland.

Sporadic clashes

On Friday, the 58 Division entered the city centres of Adampan after weeks of sporadic clashes at the periphery of the town where troops had been camped for over a month.

The Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) reported that at least fifteen LTTE cadres were killed in the clashes and that two soldiers were killed while seven were wounded.

The fall of Adampan, from where the Tigers offered stiff resistance to advancing troops have now made the sea Tiger base in Vedithalthivu vulnerable. This is a major launching pad and a smuggling port on the north western coast.

An estimated 2779 civilians lived under the Adampan Assistant Government Agent (AGA) Division in the Mannar District Secretariat, according to the 1981 Census. Five hundred and sixty-four (564) housing units of the civilians and thirty-two (32) other buildings including those of the State were located in the area, according to the same census.

On the same day, fierce fighting broke up in the Alankulam area as troops captured an area of the size of one square kilometre in Alankulam. One soldier was killed and five others were classified as missing in action. The pro LTTE Tamilnet website reported the LTTE spokesman Irasaiyah Ilantharian as saying that the LTTE had recovered seven bodies of soldiers after fierce clashes in the same area.Five soldiers were wounded in the clash.

During the same week, troops of the 57 Brigade captured the Palampiddy Bridge. According to military sources, the Tigers were taken by surprise by the sudden attack, which forced them to vacate the bridge without putting up a fight. Jeyam, a senior Tiger leader who has been assigned to fend off troop advance into the Mannar sector, had been heard on intercepted communications, instructing Tiger cadres to blow up the bridge.
From the other side, the reply came that the defending Tiger cadres were taken by surprise and hence they had to make a hasty retreat.

According to military sources, the Tigers have largely evaded confrontations in recent weeks. “When they put up a fight, it is to take time for withdrawal,” said a military official.

According to military sources, Tigers were digging a trench in Pallamadu area to fend off the military advance further into the Wanni
Heavy vehicles have also been used in the task, according to military sources.The LTTE strategy appears to be to cut off access routes to Vedithalthivu.