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Detained North Korean cargo ship on its way to American Samoa

This undated photo released yesterday by the US Justice Department, shows the North Korean cargo ship “Wise Honest”, which was detained in Indonesia in April last year.
Armed USCG personnel on site for “the safety of everybody”
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — This undated photo released yesterday by the US Justice Department, shows the North Korean cargo ship “Wise Honest”, which was detained in Indonesia in April last year. The Associated Press, citing USDOJ officials, reports that the ship is being processed to move to America Samoa while other international news organizations are reporting that the ship is entering US territorial waters in American Samoa.

In advance of the ship’s arrival, armed US Coast Guard personnel arrived in Pago Pago this week on a special operations led by the USDOJ.

Coast Guard public affairs officer, Amanda Wyrick told Samoa News yesterday that the Coast Guard is working with USDOJ and also ASG and other stake holders on this matter. “We are here to provide maritime technical insight and safety of the vessel as well as the port,” said Wyrick as the reason for the armed personnel. “We want to make sure there is no interruption in the flow of commerce of the port.”

“We are here for the safety of everybody,” she said, adding that the Coast Guard team will also be conducting inspection of the vessel. She didn't have an exact arrival date and time. 

She said moving the vessel to Pago Pago was for “logistic reasons”.

“Coming here, is feasible”, she said in a phone interview. “We have a strong relationship and partnership with Port Administration and the American Samoa Government,” she said, adding that it’s also “very helpful” that Pago Pago Harbor is very deep.

USDOJ announced yesterday morning that it had seized the “Wise Honest” that was used to violate international sanctions. The AP reports that this is the first-of-its kind enforcement action that comes amid a tense moment in relations between the U.S. and North Korea.

USDOJ laid out its case for confiscating the ship in a 32-page complaint filed early this week at the federal court in Manhattan, New York. Federal prosecutors allege that the “Wise Honest”, one of North Korea’s largest bulk carriers, was used to illicitly ship coal from North Korea and deliver heavy machinery to North Korea.

Furthermore, payments for maintenance, equipment, and improvements of the Wise Honest were made in U.S. dollars through unwitting U.S. banks. “This conduct violates longstanding U.S. law and United Nations Security Council resolutions,” USDOJ said in a national news release. 

“This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers in the news release (available at www.justice.gov).

Samoa News notes that the federal complaints, filed yesterday, make no mention of where the vessel will be moved to, after leaving Indonesia.