Namesake Ch'ongch'on River Length 155 m | Launched 1977 Beam 20 m | |
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Name 1977-2014 Chong Chon Gang2014-present Tong Hung San Owner Chongchongang Shipping (2013) Operator Chongchongang Shipping (2013) | ||
Chong Chon Gang (Chosŏn'gŭl: 청천강호, Hanja: 淸川江號) is a North Korean cargo ship, though now renamed.
Contents
The 155 m (509 ft) general cargo ship was built in 1977 in Nampo. Its owner is listed as Chongchongang Shipping of Pyongyang. Chongchongang Shipping may be a front company answering to "Office #39" (otherwise known as the Central Committee Bureau 39) of the Korean Workers' Party, which is responsible for state-sanctioned illicit activities such as the smuggling of prohibited items including weapons and luxury goods. Office #39 was created in 1974 as a department-level organization within the KWP Secretariat under the KWP Central Committee. Its primary role was, and still is, engaging in illegal activities in order to generate hard currency for the North Korean government.
History
On 11 March 2009, Chong Chon Gang was chased by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. Pirates shot guns and an RPG from a speedboat, which damaged the ship and injured two crew members. After the attack, the ship caught the attention of maritime officials when it made a stop at the Russian naval facility in Tartus, Syria. It's unknown why it was there.
Detentions
On 26 February 2003, Iran detained Chong Chon Gang at Bandar Imam Khomeini.
In February 2010, Ukrainian authorities detained the ship at Oktyabrsk. It was carrying a heroin substitute, alcohol, cigarettes, and AK-47 ammunition.
In March 2010, Egypt charged that the vessel was carrying "dangerous goods".
From April 12, 2013, to July 11 the Chong Chon Gang sent irregular signals to the Automatic Identification System. This and "unspecified" intelligence prompted Panamanian officials to seize the ship on 15th July at Manzanillo International Terminal Reportedly, when Panamanian troops approached the ship, its crew responded violently and the captain later attempted to kill himself. A reported missile was found buried in a cargo of 250,000 bags of brown sugar, resulting in the vessel's seizure. It was reportedly on its way from Cuba to North Korea. As of 16 July, only two of the several cargo compartments had been inspected. North Korea has yet to comment, while Cuba stated that the "obsolete weapons" on the ship were going to North Korea for repair. These weapons included two anti-aircraft missile batteries, nine air defense missiles in parts, two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter planes, and 15 engines for them. All of these weapons were built by the Soviet Union in the mid-20th century.
The Red Cross stated that "[the crew members] are OK. They are all calm,". Panama expelled most of the ship's 35-man crew to Cuba and other countries on 30 January 2014. The captain and two other officers were kept in Panama to face charges of arms smuggling. The North Korean government paid a fine of US$666,666 for the release of the vessel.
Subsequent developments
In October 2014 the Chong Chon Gang was transferred to another North Korean owner, Tonghunsan Shipping Company, and renamed Tong Hun San.