The MarineTraffic.com website that tracks global maritime activity showed the Alaed’s radar signal coming in Sunday just north of Denmark following the ship’s southern passage along the Norwegian coast.
The ship was shown to be sailing eastward to the Baltic Sea – in line with suggestions from the owner that it would dock in Saint Petersburg after making a brief port call in the Kaliningrad exclave in the coming days.
Russian officials had earlier suggested that the shipment – originally also carrying air defence systems that have not been mentioned in more recent reports – may eventually be delivered to Syria by air.
The three Mi-25 helicopters were repaired in Kaliningrad and some analysts believe that they may be dropped off there by the Alaed before its goes on to Saint Petersburg to pick up new cargo.
Moscow has vowed to fulfil a helicopter repair contract it signed with its last Middle East ally in 2008 while promising not to supply any of its latest technology to Assad while the fighting in Syria continues.
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