Russian ship makes it home

UPDATE: Dr. Petrov made some interesting comments that deserve highlighting:

The BBC report is full of mistakes. The name of the ship was “Lidia Demesh”. On board were 23 members of crew and 1 passenger. After being arrested the ship was escorted to the port of Kimchaek.

The situation was resolved quickly thanks to the Russian Consular General, E.Val’kovich, who personally went to Kimchaek and sorted things out. Most Russian diplomats posted to DPRK are fluent in Korean and exempt from travel restrictions. So, no traditional Hawaiian symbol of respect is needed. 

ORIGINAL POST: The BBC reported last week that the North Koreans pulled a surprise ‘Pueblo’ on the Russians.

The Lida Demesh, carrying a consignment of cars from Japan, was heading for the Russian port of Vladivostok when it was stopped by patrol near Cape Musudan.

An armed group boarded the ship and ordered the captain to change course and go to a North Korean port [Chongjin],” he told the Russian NTV network.

Mr Yeroshkin said the centre had been told the ship’s 25 crew-members were fine and that there had been no threat to their lives. (BBC)

Strangely, this was not the first time this has happened… 

A similar incident in 2005 took 15 days to resolve through diplomatic channels. (BBC)

Fortunately for the crew, the situation did not last that long.

A Russian cargo ship released by North Korean authorities on Wednesday has arrived in the Far East port of Vladivostok.

Captain Yury Buzanov said on returning to Russia that he was forced to enter North Korean waters to avoid a shipwreck due to a heavy storm.

“To save the crew I decided to enter North Korean waters because the waves in the Sea of Japan were three to four meters high with winds of 25 meters per second. In such stormy conditions, the cargo could have shifted in an instant causing the ship to lurch and sink,” the captain said. (Novosti)

No word if they ever used the traditional Hawaiian symbol of respect.

The full stories can be found here:
North Korea Detains Russian Ships
BBC
2/23/2008

Russian ship arrives home after seizure by North Korea
Novosti
2/28/2008

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One Response to “Russian ship makes it home”

  1. The BBC report is full of mistakes. The name of the ship was “Lidia Demesh”. On board were 23 members of crew and 1 passenger. After being arrested the ship was escorted to the port of Kimchaek.

    The situation was resolved quickly thanks to the Russian Consular General, E.Val’kovich, who personally went to Kimchaek and sorted things out. Most Russian diplomats posted to DPRK are fluent in Korean and exempt from travel restrictions. So, no traditional Hawaiian symbol of respect is needed.