North Korean ship is stopped by Panama

pjohns · Jul 17, 2013

A North Korean ship, apparently, was trying to smuggle missile materials illegally through the Panama Canal. That is, until the attempt was thwarted.

Here is a bit on the matter from FoxNews.com:

Panama's president says the country has taken control of a North Korean ship that was trying to illegally sneak missile materials from Cuba through the Panama Canal.

Ricardo Martinelli said on Radio Panama on Monday that the ship was stopped on the Atlantic coast of the country, according to the AFP.

"We had suspected this ship, which was coming from Cuba and headed to North Korea, might have drugs aboard so it was brought into port for search and inspection," Martinelli said. "When we started to unload the shipment of sugar we located containers that we believe to be sophisticated missile equipment, and that is not allowed."

After examining images, intelligence officials told Fox News that the equipment is part of a "soviet era" radar system that accompanies the SA-2 surface to air missile.

Martinelli told RPC the 35 North Koreans on the boat resisted police efforts to take the ship to the Caribbean port of Manzanillo. The crew was later taken into custody, and Martinelli said the captain had a heart attack and also tried to commit suicide during the operation.
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And the link: Panama stops North Korean ship carrying missile material from Cuba | Fox News

Wizard From Oz · Jul 17, 2013

pjohns said: ↑

A North Korean ship, apparently, was trying to smuggle missile materials illegally through the Panama Canal. That is, until the attempt was thwarted.
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Very good job by the Panamanian authorities. Interesting mark of desperation from the North Koreans to seeking out Soviet era radar systems

waltky · Jul 18, 2013

Panama asks for American help dealin' with No. Korean ship...

Panama asks U.S. for help with North Korean ship
July 17th, 2013 > Panama has formally asked the United States for technical help to inspect Cuban weapons found on board a North Korean freighter it seized.

"The government of Panama has requested our assistance, and we intend to provide it," Marie Harf, a State Department spokeswoman, said. "Generally speaking, the types of technical assistance we could provide include things like identifying the material on board, as well as providing personnel who are familiar with these types of inspections," she said.

Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli (L) is seen aboard of North Korean vessel Chong Chong Gang at Manzanillo harbour in Colon.

The Panamanians asked for imaging equipment and technicians to fully examine and determine what is on board, according to a U.S. official. The official declined to be identified because the person is not authorized to speak publicly. Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli has publicly said he wants international inspectors to survey the ship's cargo.

A second official told CNN an initial assessment found that Cuba was sending aging weapons - including a radar, aircraft and missile parts - to North Korea for repair and upgrade as Havana has claimed. The U.S. assessment also found that Cuba may be trying to further its arms relationship with North Korea due to Russian disinterest in performing the upgrade work.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/17/panama-aks-u-s-for-help-with-north-korean-ship/
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waltky · Jul 18, 2013

Lil Kim lookin' to shoot down our U-2's...

Cuban Missiles Headed for N. Korea Similar to Ones That Shot Down U-2s in 1960s
July 17, 2013 - The Cuban government said late Tuesday that weaponry found aboard a North Korean-flagged ship detained in the Panama Canal after leaving Cuba was obsolete material being sent to North Korea for repair.

Cubas foreign ministry did not explain why the missile and aircraft equipment was according to Panamanian officials was undeclared and hidden in a shipment of Cuban sugar. Nor did it say why it was destined for repair in North Korea rather than Russia, where it originated. And despite the ministrys assertion that Havana respects international law, the shipping of any missile-related items to North Korea violates at least three U.N. Security Council resolutions, passed in response to North Korean nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and early this year. The Cuban statement said that the ship, the MV Chong Chon Gang, had been mainly loaded with 10,000 tons of sugar but also carried 240 metric tons of obsolete defensive weapons.

These comprised Volga and Pechora anti-aircraft missile systems, nine missiles in parts and spares, two Mig-21 bis fighters and 15 engines for the planes, it said, all of it manufactured in the mid-twentieth century. The ministry said the equipment was being shipped to North Korea to be repaired before being returned to Cuba, and that this was being done in line with the need to maintain our defensive capacity in order to preserve national sovereignty. It concluded by declaring that Cuba reiterates its firm and unwavering commitment with peace, disarmament, including nuclear disarmament, and respect for international law.

The Volga is a variant of the S-75 Dvina (NATO designation: SA-2 Guideline), the Soviet-made surface-to-air missile that was used to shoot down Gary Powers U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union in 1960. An S-75 was also used to down a U-2 plane over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, resulting in the death of Major Rudolf Anderson. According to military historian Steven Zalogas 2007 book, Red SAM: The SA-2 Guideline Anti-Aircraft Missile, when the Soviets removed the ballistic missiles whose deployment in Cuba had triggered the nuclear crisis, they also withdrew most of the S-75 surface-to-air missiles but agreed to leave behind 24 S-75 combat launchers and another six training launchers. The Pechora (S-125) is also a Soviet-made surface-to-air missile, but with a shorter range and lower-altitude capability than the S-75.

North Korea and Cuba, both communist-ruled nations hostile to the U.S., have long had close relations. Panamas announcement of the seizure of the Chong Chon Gang came just a fortnight after Cuban President Raul Castro hosted a North Korean military delegation headed by the army chief of staff, Kim Kyok Sik. Cubas state news agency at the time quoted Kim as saying the visit had allowed him to corroborate the islands success in the defense of socialism in the face of U.S. aggressions.

- See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/cub...nes-shot-down-u-2s-1960s#sthash.LU8l7oPm.dpuf
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waltky · Jul 19, 2013

Smuggler's blues...

Panama charges crew of seized North Korean ship
July 18, 2013 -- Panama has filed charges against the crew of a North Korean ship seized as it tried to pass through the Panama Canal while carrying obsolete weaponry from Cuba hidden under bags of sugar, possibly in violation of U.N. sanctions.

Ramon Lopez, operations director for Panama's National Aeronautics Service, said authorities decided to stop the ship after getting intelligence from the United States and other countries about a suspicious North Korean vessel. "There was a lot of tension and strong resistance during the inspection," said Lopez, adding that the inspection lasted for three days. Panama's top prosecutor, Javier Caraballo, said the captain and 35 crew members have been charged with "attempts against Panama's security" and "illegally transporting undeclared military equipment."

The North Korean Foreign Ministry had urged Panama to let the crew go, but Caraballo said late Wednesday that the charges will force the crew to remain while authorities search the ship further. Investigators were still unloading sacks of raw brown Cuban sugar Thursday. Caraballo said the North Korean sailors could face four to six years in prison if convicted on the "attempts against Panama's security" charge alone. "According to the ship's manifesto, this boat only had 220,000 quintals of sugar. It never declared the military weapons, and obviously this in itself is a violation of the rules and it puts in grave danger all who transit through the Panama Canal," he said.

The captain and crew members have refused to speak to authorities, Caraballo said. Caraballo also said shipping the weapons through the canal likely violated U.N. resolutions that ban North Korea from buying and selling missiles and other heavy arms. Cuba has said it was sending the weapons, including missiles, two jet fighters and radar equipment, for repair in North Korea. Panama's government announced Wednesday night that visas issued by the Panamanian Embassy in Cuba's capital to two North Korean officials based there were not valid because they were not authorized by prosecutors.

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pjohns · Jul 22, 2013

Update: Some Panamanians have now discovered two MiG-21 fighter jets aboard a North Korean ship, bound from Cuba: Panama finds MiG fighter jets on N. Korean arms ship

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