Jie Shun
Jie Shun is a North Korean cargo vessel built in 1986. She flies the flag of Cambodia and lists Phnom Penh as her homeport.
Condition
[edit]According to a United Nations investigation, the frame of Jie Shun was badly corroded when she was seized in 2016, and the desalination system was not functioning.[1]
Registration
[edit]Jie Shun was registered in Cambodia, which served as a flag of convenience, and routinely disabled her transponder, in order to avoid drawing attention.[1][2] In 2014, the vessel was reportedly owned by company owned by Chinese nationals Sun Sidong, also the majority shareholder of Dandong Dongyuan Industrial.[3][4]
Sanctions violations
[edit]Jie Shun left Haeju, North Korea on July 23, 2016, with a crew of twenty-three, including a political commissar.[1] In August 2016, Jie Shun was detained by Egyptian authorities in Egyptian waters before transiting the Suez Canal, acting on information provided by the United States intelligence community. Jie Shun was found to be transporting iron ore and 30,000[5] RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenades, in violation of United Nations sanctions.[3][1] A UN investigation subsequently found that North Korea had been attempting to traffic prohibited military hardware to the Egyptian Armed Forces.[1] The value of the shipment was estimated at US$23 million.[1][6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Warrick, Joby (October 1, 2017). "A North Korean ship was seized off Egypt with a huge cache of weapons destined for a surprising buyer". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ Board, Jack (April 23, 2017). "The curious case of North Korea in Cambodia". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on May 31, 2017.
In August, North Korean vessel Jie Shun, sailing under a Cambodian flag, was seized carrying a large shipment of munitions. That action coincided with an end to the kingdom's flag convenience scheme, known to have assisted North Korea smuggle drugs and weapons throughout the world for years.
- ^ a b Fifield, Anna (June 12, 2017). "North Korea's trading partners are linked, and that could make them vulnerable". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ Brunnstrom, David (June 12, 2017). Tait, Paul (ed.). "North Korea sanctions-skirting network could be defeated by targeting China firms: report". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
C4ADS said that when the vessel, the Jie Shun, was seized, its registered owner was a firm owned by Sun Sihong, who listed her residential address as an apartment in the same complex as Sun Sidong.
- ^ "Seized ship carring [sic?] North Korean weaponry". The Express. 3 October 2017. p. 10.
- ^ Schkvarkin, Erofey (October 2, 2017). "Chinese freighter with North Korean arms seized in Egypt". Maritime Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2017-10-02. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
- ^ Warrick, Joby (October 1, 2017). "A North Korean ship was seized off Egypt with a huge cache of weapons destined for a surprising buyer". Washington Post. USA. Archived from the original on 2017-11-28. Retrieved November 23, 2017.