Something strange is going on in our neighborhood. Here's a huffingtonpost article.
HELSINKI — Around 160 tons of explosives and 69 surface-to-air missiles have been found by Finnish officials on a cargo ship bearing a British flag and ultimately destined for China, authorities said Wednesday. They said they didn't know the origin of the Patriot missiles or who was supposed to receive them.
The M/S Thor Liberty sailed from the north German port of Emden on Dec. 13 and two days later docked in Kotka, southern Finland, to pick up a cargo of anchor chains, officials said. Its final destination was Shanghai, but it wasn't clear whether that's where the arms shipment was going, officials said.
Detective superintendent Timo Virtanen of the National Bureau of Investigation said dock workers found massive amounts of picric acid – an explosive – and the missiles as they were loading the chains and alerted inspectors.
Some of the explosives were not stored properly, customs spokesman Petri Lounatmaa said, adding that an investigation was launched into a possible breach of Finnish export and weapons trading laws and that the cargo would be impounded if determined to be illegal.
"At this stage we don't know where it was loaded on the ship or if the Thor Liberty planned a drop before its port of destination in China," Lounatmaa told The Associated Press.
I mean 69 ready to go missiles on a cargo ship? I'll be keeping an eye on this. This is pretty strange. I don't think Finland is a major arms smuggling route and find like this is really scoring high on my WTF meter. Investigation is ongoing and I assume they'll take the missiles up north and blow them up if the cargo is determined to be illegal.
-Gunhead
"In the absence of orders, go find something and kill it."
-Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
"And if you don't wanna feel like a putz
Collect the clues and connect the dots
You'll see the pattern that is bursting your bubble, and it's Bad" -The Hives
Gunhead wrote:Something strange is going on in our neighborhood. Here's a huffingtonpost article.
HELSINKI — Around 160 tons of explosives and 69 surface-to-air missiles have been found by Finnish officials on a cargo ship bearing a British flag and ultimately destined for China, authorities said Wednesday. They said they didn't know the origin of the Patriot missiles or who was supposed to receive them.
The M/S Thor Liberty sailed from the north German port of Emden on Dec. 13 and two days later docked in Kotka, southern Finland, to pick up a cargo of anchor chains, officials said. Its final destination was Shanghai, but it wasn't clear whether that's where the arms shipment was going, officials said.
Detective superintendent Timo Virtanen of the National Bureau of Investigation said dock workers found massive amounts of picric acid – an explosive – and the missiles as they were loading the chains and alerted inspectors.
Some of the explosives were not stored properly, customs spokesman Petri Lounatmaa said, adding that an investigation was launched into a possible breach of Finnish export and weapons trading laws and that the cargo would be impounded if determined to be illegal.
"At this stage we don't know where it was loaded on the ship or if the Thor Liberty planned a drop before its port of destination in China," Lounatmaa told The Associated Press.
I mean 69 ready to go missiles on a cargo ship? I'll be keeping an eye on this. This is pretty strange. I don't think Finland is a major arms smuggling route and find like this is really scoring high on my WTF meter. Investigation is ongoing and I assume they'll take the missiles up north and blow them up if the cargo is determined to be illegal.
-Gunhead
Sounds like something you'd see in Ace Combat, not real life.
Saying smaller engines are better is like saying you don't want huge muscles because you wouldn't fit through the door. So what? You can bench 500. Fuck doors. - MadCat360
Wonder if it's ultimately headed to Taiwan? (Given the amount of volume of traffic to China in general, and between China and Taiwan, that should be within the realm of possibility if you're really motivated enough and have a lot of cash).
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Pelranius wrote:Wonder if it's ultimately headed to Taiwan? (Given the amount of volume of traffic to China in general, and between China and Taiwan, that should be within the realm of possibility if you're really motivated enough and have a lot of cash).
Could have been heading for China too; they've probably got a larger budget for backhanders.
Oh, bloody hell. I do hope the fact it's a British-flag ship is just happenstance, because there'll be the devil to pay if it isn't. Not even Alan Clark was stupid enough to dabble in out and out gun-running...
There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)
Replace "ginger" with "n*gger," and suddenly it become a lot less funny, doesn't it?
-- fgalkin
I doubt that the Chinese would buy 69 Patriot missiles (don't know if PAC-2, 3 or 1) when three would suffice for technical examination purposes. And they'd be a lot more interested in the radar and like.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Detective superintendent Timo Virtanen of the National Bureau of Investigation said dock workers found massive amounts of picric acid – an explosive – and the missiles as they were loading the chains and alerted inspectors.
Some of the explosives were not stored properly, customs spokesman Petri Lounatmaa said...
So, the weapons were found because they weren't packed properly? (Not stated, but a logical conclusion)
Some moron's going to have some not-very-nice people very angry with him...
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
If it was actually supposed to head anywhere in Asia it would have been bound for South Korea which bought a number of former German Patriot fire units several years ago, and may still be taking delivery of components. Its not very plausible that so many missiles would have just been outright stolen, that's at least a half dozen containers worth.
"This cult of special forces is as sensible as to form a Royal Corps of Tree Climbers and say that no soldier who does not wear its green hat with a bunch of oak leaves stuck in it should be expected to climb a tree"
— Field Marshal William Slim 1956
According to the BBC the missiles were found in containers marked "fireworks". The ship's owner, Thorco Shipping, also "expressed surprise" at being informed that missiles were found aboard, and suggested that they might have been loaded by mistake. That struck me as silly at first, but depending on how the 69 missiles were packed I suppose it's possible that nobody checked inside a series of containers marked with the sort of warning signs one might expect to find on something that ought to contain fireworks. Still, as far as arms smuggling is concerned, this kinda sounds like a shoddy job.
According to this, they were indeed heading to South Korea, just not stored right nor was the captain aware.
CBS/AP) Updated at 2:22 p.m. ET
HELSINKI - Around 160 tons of explosives and 69 surface-to-air missiles have been found by Finnish officials on a cargo ship bearing a British flag and ultimately destined for China, authorities said Wednesday. While they initially didn't know the missiles' intended recipients, an official later told CBS News he doesn't believe they're connected to terrorism.
"As far as we can make out the shipment was legal," Detective Chief Superintendent Rikosylikomisario Timo Virtanen of the National Bureau of Investigation told CBS News. "They were not trying to smuggle the missiles ... they are destined for South Korea."
Special Section: North Korea's "Dear Leader" Dies
The M/S Thor Liberty sailed from the north German port of Emden on Dec. 13 and two days later docked in Kotka, southern Finland, to pick up a cargo of anchor chains, officials told The Associated Press. Its final destination was Shanghai, but it wasn't clear whether that's where the arms shipment was going, officials said.
Virtanen said dock workers found massive amounts of picric acid — an explosive — and the missiles as they were loading the chains and alerted inspectors.
Some of the explosives were not stored properly, customs spokesman Petri Lounatmaa said, adding that an investigation was launched into a possible breach of Finnish export and weapons trading laws and that the cargo would be impounded if determined to be illegal.
Virtanen told CBS News that the ship didn't have permission to transport the explosives and missiles via Finland and that the explosives were improperly packed, both of which are illegal.
"This cult of special forces is as sensible as to form a Royal Corps of Tree Climbers and say that no soldier who does not wear its green hat with a bunch of oak leaves stuck in it should be expected to climb a tree"
— Field Marshal William Slim 1956
Little update. Those are some fireworks, maybe I'll ask for a few for new year. Have to figure out how to launch them though.
Okay here's a BBC link. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16292244. I mean.. fireworks?? Really? Okay I'm no conspiracy nut. But I think something stinks if military hardware destined to another country gets tagged "Fireworks". It's either intentional or gross negligence on someone's part. Like Skim said, I'd agree outright theft is pretty unlikely, those are pretty big missiles and there's a lot of them. I could imagine someone trying to hijack them by falsifying the transport documents and have them unloaded before they reach their intended destination.
-Gunhead
"In the absence of orders, go find something and kill it."
-Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
"And if you don't wanna feel like a putz
Collect the clues and connect the dots
You'll see the pattern that is bursting your bubble, and it's Bad" -The Hives
My bet is it was an attempt by a shipping agent to save money on some very expensive insurance and regulatory paperwork.
"This cult of special forces is as sensible as to form a Royal Corps of Tree Climbers and say that no soldier who does not wear its green hat with a bunch of oak leaves stuck in it should be expected to climb a tree"
— Field Marshal William Slim 1956
Mini update two: The missiles were evidently destined for S.Korea, they found the signature of a S.Korean Lt.Col from the documents. Someone apparently didn't bother to ask the Finnish ministry of defense for a permit to move military material through our territory. So it's going to be fun to see who will come out of the woodworks to get their missiles back. Now they are checking does the paperwork for the explosives hold up to scrutiny and if so they will be packed properly and send on their way. In the mean time, our military will hold the missiles till the investigation is done. This is from a Finnish source, they interviewed an expert from the ministry of defense. So no great Chinese conspiracy to get their evil commie claws on super Amurikah tech... OR WAS THERE?!?!?!? DUNDUNDUUUUUUNNN!
-Gunhead
"In the absence of orders, go find something and kill it."
-Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
"And if you don't wanna feel like a putz
Collect the clues and connect the dots
You'll see the pattern that is bursting your bubble, and it's Bad" -The Hives
Well, it's not the first time South Korean military equipment got stuck because of customs irregularities.
They had a devil of a time getting back a K21 IFV from Hong Kong a couple of years ago.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Siege wrote:According to the BBC the missiles were found in containers marked "fireworks". The ship's owner, Thorco Shipping, also "expressed surprise" at being informed that missiles were found aboard, and suggested that they might have been loaded by mistake. That struck me as silly at first, but depending on how the 69 missiles were packed I suppose it's possible that nobody checked inside a series of containers marked with the sort of warning signs one might expect to find on something that ought to contain fireworks. Still, as far as arms smuggling is concerned, this kinda sounds like a shoddy job.
Bolded for my amusement. Somehow I don't think 'surprise' really covers the reaction in that conference room.
Stuart: The only problem is, I'm losing track of which universe I'm in.
You kinda look like Jesus. With a lightsaber.- Peregrin Toker
Sounds like the factor for the shipment was cleared for shipping pyrotechnics, but not restricted military equipment, but did low bid and went for the Real Men of Genius Budweiser approach. Oops.
Rise up to the challenge! Eye of the Tiger, Freight Forwarding Man!
The only people who were safe were the legion; after one of their AT-ATs got painted dayglo pink with scarlet go faster stripes, they identified the perpetrators and exacted revenge. - Eleventh Century Remnant
This was definitely something that you don't see every day. The authorities don't mind weapons shipping as long as the necessary permits are in order, but they were definitely not amused in this instance. Like Gunhead said, those are some fireworks indeed...
Finnish news on the subject (articles in English):
Why is it so goddamned hard to get little assholes like you to admit it when you fuck up? Is it pride? What gives you the right to have any pride?
–Darth Wong to vivftp
GOP message? Why don't they just come out of the closet: FASCISTS R' US –Patrick Degan
The GOP has a problem with anyone coming out of the closet. –18-till-I-die
So will the missiles eventually make it to South Korea? Or is Finland going to confiscate them (that doesn't sound very likely though).
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
If the proper paperwork is produced and everything is determined to be in order (and all the necessary fines paid), I expect the shipment will continue to its original destination. However, if it isn't sorted out, the cargo stays impounded until further notice.
Warwolf Urban Combat Specialist
Why is it so goddamned hard to get little assholes like you to admit it when you fuck up? Is it pride? What gives you the right to have any pride?
–Darth Wong to vivftp
GOP message? Why don't they just come out of the closet: FASCISTS R' US –Patrick Degan
The GOP has a problem with anyone coming out of the closet. –18-till-I-die
The Koreans should probably get on that (still don't know if they're PAC-2 or PAC-3 missiles).
Wonder what all those explosives were for? Warheads?
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
If there were over a hundred tons of explosives for the seventy missiles, then no- it might have just gotten thrown in as an afterthought, since the explosives probably cost less than the explosives do anyway.
Funny. It's not like South Korea's chemical industry has difficulty producing HE. But if its being offered free, then why refuse it?
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Pelranius wrote:The Koreans should probably get on that (still don't know if they're PAC-2 or PAC-3 missiles).
Wonder what all those explosives were for? Warheads?
69 fully loaded missiles with payloads, plus 150 tons of other explosives. What the explosives werefor, mining or something else, is unknown so far.
Warwolf Urban Combat Specialist
Why is it so goddamned hard to get little assholes like you to admit it when you fuck up? Is it pride? What gives you the right to have any pride?
–Darth Wong to vivftp
GOP message? Why don't they just come out of the closet: FASCISTS R' US –Patrick Degan
The GOP has a problem with anyone coming out of the closet. –18-till-I-die
The explosive is said to be nitroguanidine, a product extracted from bat and bird droppings and also known Picrite; it is typically used along with other explosives to make low flash, low temperature gunpowder for artillery sorts type of weapons. It's not something normally used as a blasting agent or anything civilian. 150 tons of it would be enough to make a much much larger amount of service ready gunpowder. Likely related to South Korea's artillery modernization efforts.
"This cult of special forces is as sensible as to form a Royal Corps of Tree Climbers and say that no soldier who does not wear its green hat with a bunch of oak leaves stuck in it should be expected to climb a tree"
— Field Marshal William Slim 1956
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitroguanidine <-- The other explosive material is that and it might be on route to China.
Now there is a translation error in the paperwork that lead to mislabeling the missiles as fireworks, but the big issue here is the lack of transitional traffic papers for the missiles. The German customs has already informed the Finnish authorities that they knew about the missiles on the cargo vessel and in the end they were correctly marked in the documents.
The real investigation is concentrating on two things, the missing transitional papers for the missiles and disregarding seaworthiness ordnances in relation to the incorrect way the explosives were packed aboard the ship. Finnish authorities have questioned the crew and it remains to be seen what will be done about the missiles. I suspect the explosives load has already been properly packed and returned to the ship, at least they started work on it so it should be done pretty soon. No other foul play is suspected at the moment so it looks like a case of a colossal fuckup with a seasoning of negligence.
-Gunhead
"In the absence of orders, go find something and kill it."
-Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
"And if you don't wanna feel like a putz
Collect the clues and connect the dots
You'll see the pattern that is bursting your bubble, and it's Bad" -The Hives
