N. Korean ManGyongBong ferry boat arrives in Vladivostok, has no permission to moor - operator
VLADIVOSTOK. Feb 6 (Interfax) - The North Korean ManGyongBong ferry boat whose captain sent a distress signal due to a shortage of fuel has passed every inspection and arrived in Vladivostok but has not been allowed mooring.
Vladimir Baranov, the General Director of the InvestStroyTrest company operating the ferry line, told Interfax that the boat crew also ran out of food.
"I am composing a distress report to acting Primorye Governor Tarasenko, the Russian Transport Ministry, and the North Korean embassy in Moscow. The captain will send another distress call in the evening," Baranov said.
Border guards and customs checked the ferry boat before it arrived in the Vladivostok port but no mooring permission was granted, he said.
In turn, a representative of the Vladivostok customs told Interfax that the customs office, which examined the ferry boat, discovered a breach of the UN Security Council resolution banning direct or indirect food deliveries by ships flying the North Korean flag.
"The seaport captain has been duly notified," the customs officer said.
As reported earlier, the captain of the ManGyongBong ferry boat carrying cargo between North Korea's Rajin and Vladivostok, sent a distress signal on Saturday morning as the boat had no fuel and was running out of food.
The boat stayed in the Vladivostok harbor for inspection, and a tanker was sent to fuel it.
There are 34 crewmembers onboard the ferry boat; all of them are citizens of North Korea.