RIYADH, Aug 13: The United States has started moving military hardware to the Middle East. Sources in the shipping industry have been quoted here as saying that the US Military Sealift Command, the agency which was responsible for arranging the bulk of equipment during the 1991 invasion of Iraq, has asked for a roll-on-roll-off vessel to discharge at two ports in the Red Sea, late August.

It’s another big one, a 48,000 square feet of helicopters, ammunition and assorted rolling stock, a shipbroker was quoted here as saying.

This request followed the order last week to carry military supplies from Europe to the Middle East, heightening the speculation that the US was pre-positioning itself for possible military strikes against Iraq. The vessel used last week had an area of 38,000 square feet and the heaviest pieces, at 50 tons each loaded on it, were probably tanks and armoured vehicles, the shipping source added.

However, the US Navy and Military Sealift command in a statement said that they do not “have a request to charter a civilian vessel at this time”.

Roll-on-roll-off ships, and oil tankers to carry military jet fuel and marine diesel oil, will top the US military’s most wanted list of vessels if war breaks out.