Panama stops N Korean ship for missile material

[webfact]

Panama stops N. Korean ship for missile material

Panama on Monday stopped a North Korean vessel that President Ricardo Martinelli said had sailed from Cuba and tried to illegally sneak suspected sophisticated missile material through the Panama Canal.

"The world needs to sit up and take note: you cannot go around shipping undeclared weapons of war through the Panama Canal," Martinelli said, noting that the ship had been inspected to rule out drugs and was found to have other cargo of greater concern.

Source: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_07_16/Panama-stops-N-Korean-ship-for-missile-material-2666/

-- THE VOICE OF RUSSIA 2013-07-16

[lee b]

well done panama

[attento]

Once the proposed canal has been built in Nicaragua, there wont be any problem for this type of cargo.

[SeaVisionBurma]

Off topic post removed

[jamhar]

First, great job in stopping this cargo.

Atho i dont understand why they would take the chance of discovery. Just take the 2 week hit in schedule, and go around south america.

Once the proposed canal has been built in Nicaragua, there wont be any problem for this type of cargo.

Second. I have NEVER heard of the proposal of the alternate canal. Pretty cool. It looks doable depending on how much you wanted to spend, but to be honest, considering the capital involved, the panama canal could undercut this canal in cost to transit and make ROI look very unattractive. If Nicaragua wanted to do it with its own capital, they definitely could, or if the PRC wanted an alternate method of reaching the EU, yes. As a good business investment, i cant see it. But you never know unless you work the numbers.

What it might look like.

[masuk]

First, great job in stopping this cargo.

Atho i dont understand why they would take the chance of discovery. Just take the 2 week hit in schedule, and go around south america.

Once the proposed canal has been built in Nicaragua, there wont be any problem for this type of cargo.

Second. I have NEVER heard of the proposal of the alternate canal. Pretty cool. It looks doable depending on how much you wanted to spend, but to be honest, considering the capital involved, the panama canal could undercut this canal in cost to transit and make ROI look very unattractive. If Nicaragua wanted to do it with its own capital, they definitely could, or if the PRC wanted an alternate method of reaching the EU, yes. As a good business investment, i cant see it. But you never know unless you work the numbers.

What it might look like.

Proposed new canal will take super tankers and super container ships. In the BBC and other news a few days ago.

[jamhar]

Proposed new canal will take super tankers and super container ships. In the BBC and other news a few days ago.

Shoot i would have liked to seen that. (I'm a geek. I admit it)

PS the new panama canal can accept almost all of the super container ships except a few, and those on the drawing board.

I still say its worth doing as a state project, or for China to fund it. but I dont think it makes business sense.

Edit:

Looks like the draft is an issue for fully burden super cargo, and definitely super tankers.

So if Nicaragua can do larger deeper locks, they would have an advantage for the largest ships.

[attento]

First, great job in stopping this cargo.

Atho i dont understand why they would take the chance of discovery. Just take the 2 week hit in schedule, and go around south america.

Once the proposed canal has been built in Nicaragua, there wont be any problem for this type of cargo.

Second. I have NEVER heard of the proposal of the alternate canal. Pretty cool. It looks doable depending on how much you wanted to spend, but to be honest, considering the capital involved, the panama canal could undercut this canal in cost to transit and make ROI look very unattractive. If Nicaragua wanted to do it with its own capital, they definitely could, or if the PRC wanted an alternate method of reaching the EU, yes. As a good business investment, i cant see it. But you never know unless you work the numbers.

What it might look like.

Enabling legistaion for a canal was passed by the Nicaraguan National Assembly on June 13, 2013. A 50-year concession was granted to a HK based company. Detractors should ignore the economic arguements, this is a political project. China (and some South American countries) does not want to be beholden to the whims of USA politicians.

[attento]

Proposed new canal will take super tankers and super container ships. In the BBC and other news a few days ago.

Shoot i would have liked to seen that. (I'm a geek. I admit it)

PS the new panama canal can accept almost all of the super container ships except a few, and those on the drawing board.

I still say its worth doing as a state project, or for China to fund it. but I dont think it makes business sense.

Edit:

Looks like the draft is an issue for fully burden super cargo, and definitely super tankers.

So if Nicaragua can do larger deeper locks, they would have an advantage for the largest ships.

Chinese engineers can build deep locks !

[geriatrickid]

The issue here is the apparent sale of restricted ordinance to a pariah state. As of now, with one cargo hold searched and inventoried, an RSN-75 fire radar fire control system for ground-to-air missiles has been identified. Ongoing activity in other areas has identified missile components.

According to IHS Janes "the equipment could have been sent from Cuba to North Korea for an upgrade, to be returned to Cuba and to be paid for with the sugar, or it could be an arms shipment to North Korea".

Whatever the reason, it is a clear violation of the arms embargo on North Korea. Cuba has stayed quiet. Not one of the many powerful countries that sympathize with Cuba, in particular Canada or the EU countries has said anything. Where are the non aligned countries such as India, Thailand, China, Malaysia etc. ? Not one of the 120 countries in that group of which Cuba is the darling has spoken up.

There is something seriously screwed up when Cuba can engage export deadly missile systems to a despotic state that is supposedly subject to an international arms embargo and not one country in Asia says boo.. It's time for North Korea's targets to speak out. South Korea and Japan need to grow a set of balls. Cuba has engaged in a disgusting act Cuba must suffer the consequences. It will be interesting to see if Cuba's financial backers Canada and the Western EU countries impose punitive sanctions.