According to news advanced by Renascença, the disciplinary process against the 13 Naval servicemen sailing onboard the NRP Mondego has been held in abeyance since the 27th of July last year, with the lawyers of the accused servicemen cannot understand the reason for the delay.
Posts tagged as “NRP Mondego”
The 13 sailors who refused to board the NRP Mondego ship in March, citing security reasons, will know on Thursday, at 10:00 am, the charges arising from the Navy disciplinary proceedings, confirmed one of the defence lawyers.
The NRP Mondego and crew ended their secondment to Madeira on Friday and have returned to their Lisbon Naval Base.
The Minister of National Defence said that the Portuguese Navy's ship 'Mondego,' which broke down in March, is now fully operational and back on active duty.
The Chief of Staff of the Navy, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, categorically stated today that the latest incident aboard the NRP Mondego, which had to abort the mission in the Selvagens Islands, originated "from a human error" that the Navy is investigating.
After a series of setbacks and embarrassing delays, the NRP Mondego returned to the sea this morning, after having been moored in the Port of Caniçal after being towed by two tugboats after suffering yet another breakdown last week.
The military associations representing the non-commissioned officers and enlisted seamen aboard the beleaguered NRP Mondego, which had to be towed to the port of Caniçal this morning, after its electrical generators failed have spoken out.
I recently wrote that the NRP Mondego had left for the mainland. This was in part true, however, the ship has obviously demonstrated its 'seaworthiness conditions' by being unable to fulfill successive departure dates, two of which were scheduled for yesterday.
Just after 10:30 this morning, the NRP Mondego was seen leaving and will return to its mainland base.
The former Portuguese Head of State, Ramalho Eanes said today that the case of the 13 soldiers who refused to board the ship Mondego, left him "disgusted." And refused to comment further.....However! He did go on to clarify his point.
The lawyers of the 13 naval personnel whose evidence will be heard tomorrow at the Military Judicial Police in Lisbon claim that "there are indications that evidence has been erased" by the Navy, and are worried that the case may be derailed in their pursuit of the truth.
After the Navy confirmed that all those who refused to undertake a surveillance mission last Saturday night were to be replaced, local newspaper JM, writes that the crew are still in Madeira but will be replaced before the arrival of Admiral Gouveia and Admiral Melo tomorrow.
The crew who refused to leave Funchal Pier and board the NRP Mondego and take part in a surveillance mission tracking a Russian vessel off the north coast of Porto Santo will be removed from their posts.
With thirteen members of the crew, including four NCOs, refusing to leave the shore, the Portuguese navy was unable to fulfill one of its main duties; the protection of the sovereign seas, and failed to complete a surveillance mission on a Russian ship that was travelling north of Porto Santo.
It was as close to mutiny as you can get when 13 Portuguese naval personnel refused to take part in a naval mission in the Maritime Zone of Madeira. Four NCOs and nine seamen refused to sail due to an engine malfunction of the NRP Mondego, claiming that the ship was seriously damaged.