Seized North Korean ship released

UN SANCTIONS North Korean cargo ship MV Jin Teng is docked at Subic Bay Freeport after it was inspected by the Philippine Coast Guard. North Korea has threatened a nuclear war with the United States. Allan Macatuno/Inquirer Central Luzon

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The impounded North Korean cargo ship MV Jin Teng set sail on Maundy Thursday after it was removed from the list of vessels subjected to asset freeze by the United Nations.

Assisted by a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) tugboat, the vessel bearing a Sierra Leone flag quietly left at 2 p.m. after being held for almost four weeks by the government, which enforced a fresh round of UN sanctions against North Korea.

The Jin Teng was freed following a directive from Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Edwin Lopez, according to Lt. Cdr. Jonathan Marfil, station commander of the Coast Guard Subic station.

“The release was in consonance with the lifting of the hold departure order that our government issued,” Marfil said on Thursday.

Three other ships operated or controlled by the Ocean Maritime Management (OMM) were removed from the asset freeze list, Marfil said.

According to the National Coast Watch Center, the OMM vessels were suspected of smuggling weapons of mass destruction.

No weapons found

The 4,355-ton Jin Teng, which carried 21 North Korean crew, arrived here on Feb. 28 to unload a cargo of palm kernel expeller, a by-product of palm oil, which has many uses. It is also an ingredient for farm animal feed.

The cargo was meant for Filipino consignees, according to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) officials.

Representatives from PCG, SBMA, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration and the Philippine National Police inspected the ship several times after it was impounded in the naval supply depot port on March 5.

The inspections found no weapons on the ship. The SBMA also said it found nothing irregular about the ship’s port call.  Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon