The switching off of the transponder of the Russian vessel, Lady R was due to the urgent circumstances in which the docking at Simon’s Town was procured, and the tracking of the vessel by foreign spy agencies.

This is contained in the four-page executive summary of the independent panel that investigated US Ambassador Reuben Brigety’s claims about weapons being loaded and sent from South Africa to Russia.

It has emerged that the vessel was initially supposed to have docked in Port Elizabeth but shipping agents there refused to service the vessel due to America’s unilateral sanctions. The sanctions are not binding on South Africa.

The summary also reveals that the equipment transported and offloaded by Lady R in Cape Town was ordered from a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The goods were offloaded under the cover of darkness. According to the panel this is standard practice in relation to type of equipment. The panel was informed of the nature and intended use of the equipment for the South African military.

The inquiry had concluded that there was no evidence that arms were loaded onto the vessel.