Latest news with #HongKong-flagged
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
'Involved in development of ballistic missiles': FATF calls out Pakistan for flouting norms; India may use dossier to push for sanctions
A new report from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has cited a case involving Pakistan's missile development programme, referencing a shipment seized by Indian customs officials in 2020 that was bound for Port Qasim in Karachi. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The FATF case study outlines how dual-use goods, including equipment critical for ballistic missile technology, were mis-declared in export documents and linked directly to Pakistan's National Development Complex, which is known to be involved in the development of long-range ballistic missiles. The FATF report reveals that Indian investigators intercepted a cargo ship falsely declaring autoclaves, equipment used for high-energy materials and missile motor components. 'The Bill of Lading of the seized cargo provided evidence of the link between the importer and the National Development Complex,' the report noted. This latest disclosure comes as FATF increases its scrutiny of state-sponsored terrorism, particularly following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which left 26 dead. In a public condemnation, FATF said: 'This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters.' As per PTI sources, India is likely to use this FATF disclosure in its dossier to push for Pakistan's return to the FATF grey list. The upcoming Asia Pacific Group meeting in August and the FATF plenary in October may see renewed calls for sanctions or monitoring. According to officials cited by PTI, the inclusion of 'state-sponsored terrorism' in the FATF's upcoming analysis marks a significant step in acknowledging Pakistan's involvement in funding and facilitating terror operations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The incident flagged by FATF, which occurred in February 2020 at Kandla port, saw authorities act on intelligence regarding a suspicious Hong Kong-flagged ship, Da Cui Yun, that had departed from China's Jiangyin port, TOI had reported. Officials seized a massive pressure chamber described as a pipe-like object, 35-40 feet in length, now confirmed to have potential ballistic missile applications. Experts from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) joined a high-level investigation into the cargo, amid tight-lipped responses from customs due to the national security implications. Also read: The FATF report also highlighted the growing global risk from proliferation financing (PF), especially concerning state and non-state actors acquiring dual-use technologies for weapons of mass destruction (WMD). 'The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related financing represents a significant threat to global security and the integrity of the international financial system,' the report warns, adding that failure to implement effective controls could allow actors to exploit weaknesses in global export and financial systems.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Time of India
Unloading of crude oil starts from tanker with Pak crew
Kendrapada: A day after 21 Pakistani crew members of Hong Kong-flagged oil tanker were denied permission to deboard at Paradip port , unloading of crude oil started on Thursday morning. "The oil tanker arrived on Wednesday with a cargo of 11,350 metric tonnes at Paradip port. Coast Guard, marine police, customs, CISF and other security agencies reached the Single Point Mooring (SPM) and thoroughly checked the oil tanker," said Jagatsinghpur SP, Bhawani Sankar Udgata. The unloading process involves pipelines transferring oil from the tanker to onshore facilities of IOCL. It is expected to take around 30 hours, and is expected to be completed on Friday evening. "We examined the passports and other documents of all the 25 crew members including the 21 Pakistani. As per our direction, Pakistani crew members did not disembark from the oil tanker," Udgata said. Patrolling is being done in the port and nearby areas. All the vehicles passing through the port area are being checked, he added.
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Odisha: 21 Pakistani crew members of cargo ship denied entry at Paradip port
Security agencies have barred 21 Pakistani crew members from disembarking a crude oil tanker that arrived at Odisha's Paradip Port on Wednesday amid the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. Officials said the Hong Kong-flagged ship — MT Siren II — carrying 1,96,580 MT of crude oil for Indian Oil Corporation, docked at the SPM (single point mooring) terminal of the port a day earlier. The vessel had travelled from South Korea via Singapore before reaching Paradip. Apart from the 21 Pakistani crew members, two are from India, while Sri Lanka and Thailand had one each. Jagatsinghpur SP Bhabani Shankar Udgata said all 21 Pakistani crew members have been barred from disembarking for security reasons. Prior to their arrival, the immigration department had alerted the CISF, the Indian Coast Guard, the marine police, and Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Hyderabad to tighten security measures. 'The Pakistani crew members will remain on-board throughout the unloading process. Once the operation is completed, the vessel will depart immediately,' the SP said. After the vessel's arrival, the immigration department directed all Pakistani crew members to deposit their passports and visas, and the documents will be returned after the unloading process is complete. Since the ship was carrying combustible cargo, it has not docked at the port but anchored at the SPM, 15 nautical miles off the Paradip port with local boats carrying out the offloading.
The Advertiser
15-05-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Ship's near stranding exposes emergency response flaws
A ship's anchors prevented a "catastrophic stranding" on a rocky shore in heavy weather, a safety investigation has found, faulting the ship's operator, maritime agencies, a port authority and a salvage company. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report into the July 2022 incident found the bulk carrier Portland Bay left Port Kembla, south of Sydney, but remained near the coast instead of safely clearing it. Multiple engine problems as the Hong Kong-flagged vessel pitched and rolled reduced speed to a minimum, "effectively disabling the ship in bad weather" and endangering the crew. The vessel was carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, raising concerns a grounding would have dire environmental consequences. When the master reported to the ship's operators, Pacific Basin Shipping, he was not advised about notifying authorities. This led to a delay in reporting the situation to the Port Authority of NSW's vessel traffic service, compounded by the service not promptly forwarding the master's report to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "The various delays resulted in delaying the tug assistance requested and the master had to deploy both anchors to prevent stranding," said the report, released on Thursday, the bureau's most comprehensive marine investigation in nearly two decades. Rescue helicopters were sent to the ship but had to abandon a plan to winch the crew to safety due to the ship's instability. Three tugs began towing the carrier away from the coast but one towline parted in rough seas, causing the vessel to again drift towards the shore, prompting the master to again deploy anchors. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the anchors, while not designed to hold the ship in such severe conditions, "prevented a catastrophic stranding on the rocky shore". An emergency towage vessel was sent from Newcastle and the vessel was towed into Port Botany for repairs on July 6. The ATSB report identified several emergency response issues, including that AMSA and port authority procedures were "not effectively implemented". It also found the co-ordination of critical elements of the emergency response between the port authority, Transport for NSW and AMSA were inadequate and inconsistent with the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. "These safety issues prolonged the emergency and the exposure to stranding, with potentially severe consequences." The investigation also found United Salvage was limited in its ability to provide the salvage services required as it did not operate towage vessels, so was reliant on towage providers. Pacific Basin Shipping has revised its crisis management procedures to include at least one exercise each year and to stress early reporting of incidents AMSA has reviewed emergency procedures and increased staffing and training. The ATSB recommended AMSA, the NSW port authority and maritime arm of Transport for NSW take further action on issues raised in the report. "Three legislated bodies had a defined role within relevant legislation and state and national plans to respond to this emergency, but each agency did not believe that the response necessarily fell within their responsibility," Mr Mitchell said. The report noted failures in emergency response were usually associated with actions that were "too little, too late". "Australia's National Plan reiterates the principle of over‑escalation in an initial response as it is more effective to scale down than up." A ship's anchors prevented a "catastrophic stranding" on a rocky shore in heavy weather, a safety investigation has found, faulting the ship's operator, maritime agencies, a port authority and a salvage company. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report into the July 2022 incident found the bulk carrier Portland Bay left Port Kembla, south of Sydney, but remained near the coast instead of safely clearing it. Multiple engine problems as the Hong Kong-flagged vessel pitched and rolled reduced speed to a minimum, "effectively disabling the ship in bad weather" and endangering the crew. The vessel was carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, raising concerns a grounding would have dire environmental consequences. When the master reported to the ship's operators, Pacific Basin Shipping, he was not advised about notifying authorities. This led to a delay in reporting the situation to the Port Authority of NSW's vessel traffic service, compounded by the service not promptly forwarding the master's report to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "The various delays resulted in delaying the tug assistance requested and the master had to deploy both anchors to prevent stranding," said the report, released on Thursday, the bureau's most comprehensive marine investigation in nearly two decades. Rescue helicopters were sent to the ship but had to abandon a plan to winch the crew to safety due to the ship's instability. Three tugs began towing the carrier away from the coast but one towline parted in rough seas, causing the vessel to again drift towards the shore, prompting the master to again deploy anchors. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the anchors, while not designed to hold the ship in such severe conditions, "prevented a catastrophic stranding on the rocky shore". An emergency towage vessel was sent from Newcastle and the vessel was towed into Port Botany for repairs on July 6. The ATSB report identified several emergency response issues, including that AMSA and port authority procedures were "not effectively implemented". It also found the co-ordination of critical elements of the emergency response between the port authority, Transport for NSW and AMSA were inadequate and inconsistent with the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. "These safety issues prolonged the emergency and the exposure to stranding, with potentially severe consequences." The investigation also found United Salvage was limited in its ability to provide the salvage services required as it did not operate towage vessels, so was reliant on towage providers. Pacific Basin Shipping has revised its crisis management procedures to include at least one exercise each year and to stress early reporting of incidents AMSA has reviewed emergency procedures and increased staffing and training. The ATSB recommended AMSA, the NSW port authority and maritime arm of Transport for NSW take further action on issues raised in the report. "Three legislated bodies had a defined role within relevant legislation and state and national plans to respond to this emergency, but each agency did not believe that the response necessarily fell within their responsibility," Mr Mitchell said. The report noted failures in emergency response were usually associated with actions that were "too little, too late". "Australia's National Plan reiterates the principle of over‑escalation in an initial response as it is more effective to scale down than up." A ship's anchors prevented a "catastrophic stranding" on a rocky shore in heavy weather, a safety investigation has found, faulting the ship's operator, maritime agencies, a port authority and a salvage company. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report into the July 2022 incident found the bulk carrier Portland Bay left Port Kembla, south of Sydney, but remained near the coast instead of safely clearing it. Multiple engine problems as the Hong Kong-flagged vessel pitched and rolled reduced speed to a minimum, "effectively disabling the ship in bad weather" and endangering the crew. The vessel was carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, raising concerns a grounding would have dire environmental consequences. When the master reported to the ship's operators, Pacific Basin Shipping, he was not advised about notifying authorities. This led to a delay in reporting the situation to the Port Authority of NSW's vessel traffic service, compounded by the service not promptly forwarding the master's report to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "The various delays resulted in delaying the tug assistance requested and the master had to deploy both anchors to prevent stranding," said the report, released on Thursday, the bureau's most comprehensive marine investigation in nearly two decades. Rescue helicopters were sent to the ship but had to abandon a plan to winch the crew to safety due to the ship's instability. Three tugs began towing the carrier away from the coast but one towline parted in rough seas, causing the vessel to again drift towards the shore, prompting the master to again deploy anchors. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the anchors, while not designed to hold the ship in such severe conditions, "prevented a catastrophic stranding on the rocky shore". An emergency towage vessel was sent from Newcastle and the vessel was towed into Port Botany for repairs on July 6. The ATSB report identified several emergency response issues, including that AMSA and port authority procedures were "not effectively implemented". It also found the co-ordination of critical elements of the emergency response between the port authority, Transport for NSW and AMSA were inadequate and inconsistent with the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. "These safety issues prolonged the emergency and the exposure to stranding, with potentially severe consequences." The investigation also found United Salvage was limited in its ability to provide the salvage services required as it did not operate towage vessels, so was reliant on towage providers. Pacific Basin Shipping has revised its crisis management procedures to include at least one exercise each year and to stress early reporting of incidents AMSA has reviewed emergency procedures and increased staffing and training. The ATSB recommended AMSA, the NSW port authority and maritime arm of Transport for NSW take further action on issues raised in the report. "Three legislated bodies had a defined role within relevant legislation and state and national plans to respond to this emergency, but each agency did not believe that the response necessarily fell within their responsibility," Mr Mitchell said. The report noted failures in emergency response were usually associated with actions that were "too little, too late". "Australia's National Plan reiterates the principle of over‑escalation in an initial response as it is more effective to scale down than up." A ship's anchors prevented a "catastrophic stranding" on a rocky shore in heavy weather, a safety investigation has found, faulting the ship's operator, maritime agencies, a port authority and a salvage company. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report into the July 2022 incident found the bulk carrier Portland Bay left Port Kembla, south of Sydney, but remained near the coast instead of safely clearing it. Multiple engine problems as the Hong Kong-flagged vessel pitched and rolled reduced speed to a minimum, "effectively disabling the ship in bad weather" and endangering the crew. The vessel was carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, raising concerns a grounding would have dire environmental consequences. When the master reported to the ship's operators, Pacific Basin Shipping, he was not advised about notifying authorities. This led to a delay in reporting the situation to the Port Authority of NSW's vessel traffic service, compounded by the service not promptly forwarding the master's report to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "The various delays resulted in delaying the tug assistance requested and the master had to deploy both anchors to prevent stranding," said the report, released on Thursday, the bureau's most comprehensive marine investigation in nearly two decades. Rescue helicopters were sent to the ship but had to abandon a plan to winch the crew to safety due to the ship's instability. Three tugs began towing the carrier away from the coast but one towline parted in rough seas, causing the vessel to again drift towards the shore, prompting the master to again deploy anchors. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the anchors, while not designed to hold the ship in such severe conditions, "prevented a catastrophic stranding on the rocky shore". An emergency towage vessel was sent from Newcastle and the vessel was towed into Port Botany for repairs on July 6. The ATSB report identified several emergency response issues, including that AMSA and port authority procedures were "not effectively implemented". It also found the co-ordination of critical elements of the emergency response between the port authority, Transport for NSW and AMSA were inadequate and inconsistent with the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. "These safety issues prolonged the emergency and the exposure to stranding, with potentially severe consequences." The investigation also found United Salvage was limited in its ability to provide the salvage services required as it did not operate towage vessels, so was reliant on towage providers. Pacific Basin Shipping has revised its crisis management procedures to include at least one exercise each year and to stress early reporting of incidents AMSA has reviewed emergency procedures and increased staffing and training. The ATSB recommended AMSA, the NSW port authority and maritime arm of Transport for NSW take further action on issues raised in the report. "Three legislated bodies had a defined role within relevant legislation and state and national plans to respond to this emergency, but each agency did not believe that the response necessarily fell within their responsibility," Mr Mitchell said. The report noted failures in emergency response were usually associated with actions that were "too little, too late". "Australia's National Plan reiterates the principle of over‑escalation in an initial response as it is more effective to scale down than up."
New Indian Express
15-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Pakistan crew barred from disembarking crude oil tanker in Odisha
PARADIP: Amid the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, security agencies have barred 21 Pakistani crew members from disembarking a crude oil tanker that arrived at Paradip Port on Wednesday. Hong Kong-flagged crude oil tanker MT Siren II, carrying 1,96,580 tonne of crude oil, docked at the single point mooring (SPM) terminal of the port during the wee hours. Its crew includes 25 members - 21 from Pakistan, two from India and one each from Sri Lanka and Thailand. Sources said the Pakistani crew has been restricted from disembarking for security reasons. Prior to their arrival, the Immigration department had alerted CISF, Indian Coast Guard, Marine police and Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Hyderabad to tighten security measures. After the vessel's arrival, the Immigration department directed all Pakistani crew members to deposit their passports and visas with the office concerned. The documents will be returned after completion of crude oil unloading operations at the SPM terminal. Jagatsinghpur SP Bhabani Shankar Udgata said all 21 Pakistani crew members have been barred from disembarking for security reasons. A close vigil is being maintained on their movement to prevent any breach of national security, he added. Security agencies including CISF, Customs department, Indian Coast Guard, Navy and Marine police have been put on alert. The vessel had sailed from South Korea via Singapore before reaching Odisha coast. Officials assured there is no cause for concern as the vessel is anchored at the SPM terminal, located approximately 15 nautical miles off Paradip coast. 'The Pakistani crew members will remain onboard throughout the unloading process. Once the operation is completed, the vessel will depart immediately,' sources added. Paradip Port was placed under heightened maritime security during the military tension between India and Pakistan.
