Belgrade, Apr. 7.
The centre of interest in the Balkans today is the expected departure from Dubrovnik (Yugoslavia) of the 8,000-ton German freighter Ankara, loaded with a cargo of 5,000 tons of bauxite.
'With British warships reported in the Adriatic to strengthen the Allies' blockade of the Reich, the success or failure of the German vessel to reach Trieste, its destination, is of considerable importance to Germany in her bid for foreign raw material.
The master of the Ankara tried in vain to enlist the services of a Yugoslav pilot with the object of hugging the coast of Yugoslavia until Trieste is reached, a dangerous move owing to the treacherous reefs abounding in these waters.
There are therefore three possibil ies open to the vessel: she can abandon the trip, run the risk òf foundering by navigating in Yugoslav waters without a pilot, or take to the open sea and risk being intercepted by an enemy warship.
Captain Frank, skipper of the Ankara, has completed all the formalities for departure with the assistance of the German Consul at Sarajevo and the German Legation in Belgrade.
Officers of the Italian vessel America Vespucci, which arrived in Dubrovrik today, stated they saw a cruiser in the Straits of Otranto heading northwards. Furthermore, it is reported that two British submarines are cruising near the Vis Islands.
The chances of the Ankara outspeeding any war vessel are nil, for the ship's top speed is sixteen knots. Manned by a crew of 37 men, the ship belongs to the Deutsche Levant Linie.—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.