Patriots bound for South Korea intercepted in Finland

(B2) It's a somewhat surprising odyssey that has uncovered a commercial circuit of Patriot missiles, transiting from Germany to South Korea. The storm playing, the Thor Liberty which transported them had asked to be able to shelter in a Finnish port, in Nötö, on December 9 then in Kotka. Taking advantage of the stopover, the Finnish authorities then discovered that the freighter was carrying unusual goods - 69 Patriot missiles and their accessories, as well as 150 tons of explosives. All materials that did not have a prior authorization for the transit of weapons - as the daily Helsingin Sanomat explains - and were therefore first unloaded and then sheltered on a military base of the Finnish forces.

After verification, it turns out that Germany did indeed sell these missiles to South Korea. And its re-export has been authorized. The ship was thus able to leave on Friday (January 6), first to Tallinn (to refuel) then to the Pacific and Shanghai, but the investigation continues. The Ukrainian captain and another ship official were briefly detained for questioning. its first destination. They could be charged for having questioned the seaworthiness of the ship: the explosives were simply placed on pallets without any usual safety precautions for this type of load. Customs also suspect an export crime.

The daily specifies that since 2000, Finland has granted 22 transit authorizations for military equipment. She refused only two: for Austrian rifles to India and for Russian submarines to China. For its part, South Korea has requested the assistance of the US Navy to ensure that the passage of the boat in areas of intensive piracy can be done as safely as possible, reports the local agency Yonhap.