Flags of Convenience:
The largest shipping registries are Panama, Liberia, Greece, Marshall Islands and the Bahamas,
Approximately 6,300 sail under the Panamanian flag, making Panama the largest. The Greek-controlled fleet is at almost 90 million gross tons.
The Marshall Islands is fourth with 1, 500 vessels and 37 million tons. Bahamas has 1,500 vessels at 27 million tons.
Other significant flags include Cyprus and Malta
Missile launch vehicles, called TELs – for transporter, erector, launcher were shipped from Shanghai to North Korea last August on board the Harmony Wish, a Cambodian-flagged cargo vessel. Japanese authorities tracked the ship by satellite and searched it after it had delivered its cargo, when it transited through Japan the following month, Although no suspicious vehicles were on board the ship when it was searched in Japan, authorities found documents detailing the cargo it had unloaded in North Korea, which included the vehicles, The UN security council imposed sanctions against North Korea after its first nuclear test in 2006, stepping them up after a second test in 2009 to try to derail the country's rogue nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. The sanctions restrict exports of weapons or technology that could be used to boost those programmes.
8853776HARMONY WISHXUNB8General Cargo Ship1991
Name:Harmony Wish IMO:8853776 Flag:Cambodia MMSI:515251000 Callsign:XUNB8 Former name(s): - Hoei Maru (Until 2008 Jul 31) Technical Data Vessel type:Grab Dredger Gross tonnage:1,999 tons Summer DWT:3,720 tons Length:85 m Beam:13 m Draught:4.5 m
Additional Information Home port:Phnom Penh Class society:Inclamar Build year:1991 Builder*:Kamishima Shipbuilding Osakikamijima, Japan Owner:Harmony Growing Shipmanagement Dalian, China Manager:Harmony Growing Shipmanagement Dalian, China
Universal Cargo Logistics (UCL) admitted last week that the container vessel had docked in Syria, but said the firm had no knowledge of the cargo's contents as they were in sealed containers and passed by Russian customs officials. UCL is registered in the Netherlands, while the boat is registered by a Maltese company called Rusich 12 Ltd, which is owned by a Russich-NW Shipholding. The firm, Rusich-12, is part of several companies registered at the address of advocates Ganado & Associates in Valletta, as subsidiaries of Russich-NW Shipholding, which is registered in Cyrus and owned by Universal Cargo Logistics (UCL) of the Netherlands, one of several businesses owned by Russian oligarch and billionaire Vladimir Lisin. Russian billionaire Vladimir Lisin was a welder before studying metal engineering at a university in Siberia. He is Russia's second richest man, having made his fortune, estimated at 10.2 billion pounds, in the steel industry. Professor Katsman, managed by the North Western Shipping Company, delivered the cargo of arms to Syria.
[June 1]"With respect to the reported docking of a ship [Professor Katsman] carrying Russian arms, this is obviously of the utmost concern given that the Syrian government continues to use deadly force against civilians," U.S. Ambassador Rice told reporters at UN headquarters. "As for supplying weapons, Russia does not provide weapons that could be used in a civil conflict," Russian President Putin said. "We know that there has been a very consistent arms trade even during this last year of violence in Syria coming from Russia to Syria. We also believe that the continuing supply of arms from Russia has strengthened the Assad regime," said U.S. Secretray of State Clinton. "What those arms are being used for we can not speak with any accuracy
[May 26] ODAI from North Korea is scheduled to dock today in Latakiya “North Korea is continuing to send arms to Syria. The shipments arrive by air and sea and they are being paid by a special slush fund that the Iranian government set up for this purpose.” Professor Katsman, is owned by a Maltese firm, which is owned by a Cypriot company that is owned by Russian firm. Diplomats said the Russian firm might have been acting on behalf of state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, though that was not clear.
Name:Professor Katsman IMO:9368261 Flag:Russia MMSI:273355040 Callsign:UBOG3 Technical Data Vessel type:Cargo Gross tonnage:4,970 tons Summer DWT:5,465 tons Length:128 m Beam:16 m Draught:3.5 m
Additional Information Owner:Volga Baltic - Moscow, Russia Manager:North Western Shipping St.petersburg, Russia
Receive: 23/07/2010 04:44 Ship: PROFESSOR KATSMAN Malta IMO: 9368261
Name:Odai IMO:8992675 Flag:North Korea MMSI:445683000 Callsign:HMVZ6 Former name(s): - Nikolla (Until 2008 Sep 09) - An Qiang (Until 2005 Oct 03) - Jin An 3 (not Yet Confirmed)
