North Korea Ship Seized.

[Jim Brady]

Story here.
Regards.
Jim.B.
North Korea sanctions: Philippines to seize cargo ship - BBC News

[j.sabourn]

As usual Jim this is going to cause tit for tat. I am not up on maritime law . But thought North Korea was not party to any shipping laws as decided by other countries and to arrest her on such must have a good idea of what they are doing. There again she is not sailing under the North Korean flag. Once again we come back to the usefulness of flags, and old ones should not be discarded like a pair of old socks. Apart from cutting off all arms and stockpiles of Uranium North Korea should be left to its own devices and if it wants to come in from Out of the Cold is up to her. Her leaders obviously don't trust the West, and is called various names worldwide the least of all being a pariah. Loss of face is as we all know a big thing to certain nations, and will be a big thing with her civilian population as will just band them together in a tighter group and rally together in whatever they are told, they must however have a certain knowledge of what is going on these days as secrets are hard to keep. The west knows very little about the inner workings of North Korea and is all made on certain peoples estimates, so we know less about them than we think, whereas they Know all the propaganda that their leaders make about the West. A bit like the blind leading the blind. Cheers JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

You can bet your bottom dollar that China has got him on a leash, but it suits their political purposes to let him off it now and again to divert world attention from some of their own more clandestine activities, if he ever seems to be getting too big for his boots and the outcome affects China in a detrimental way you can be sure the leash will have a choke chain attached.

[happy daze john in oz]

You can bet your bottom dollar that China has got him on a leash, but it suits their political purposes to let him off it now and again to divert world attention from some of their own more clandestine activities, if he ever seems to be getting too big for his boots and the outcome affects China in a detrimental way you can be sure the leash will have a choke chain attached.

More truth in that then many would consider. Cambodia is also one that China just about owns now.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Wonder how many political police are on these ships that trade outside North Korea and their crews see what is available in Phillipines, Singapore etc, doubt the crew would jump ship as their families would disappear off the face of the earth, but surely some stories must circulate within NK about the outside world because of these travellers

[j.sabourn]

Ivan I like many on here I would imagine paid ship visits to Russian ships re change of films etc. and most of us noted always one particular character in the background who we all immediately said he was their political officer or better known as the commissar. I think this was true as was told this by one of the Russian seaman on going on board to change the movies once in think it was India. However as said once before about 2001 was on a Russian survey vessel with an Australian crew of 9, and although the full Russian crew of about 40 plus their surveyors, were standoffish at first they soon came round, when I retired in 2002 I even got a retirement card from the Russian master. They were the most poorly paid seamen I have ever seen. There were no gripes from them, they were as well trained as any of us, and were totally patriotic to their own country. If they had a commissar the 6 weeks or whatever it was I was there, I never spotted him, the only one who I can think of who may have been, if there was one, was the master himself. They had more caste system than we have today in what is left in the British MN as still adhered to top tables etc. in a communal messroom. Whereas in such cases on our own ships that went a long time ago, so can say they were less communist than us when it came to everybody being equal. Cheers JS Alias Abdul The BulBul Emir. PS I know the post is on North Korea but they are all lumped in with China and Russia to the ordinary man in the street, when in fact they aren't. The only thing the have in common is their politics which in in various stages of evolution. Even also as The D of E would say slitty eyes. JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

In the mid 80's I was working in Ethiopia on Aid Relief and one of my Dutch lads got injured, there was a Russian ship in port which I knew would have medical facilities on board, so sought their assistance, at first the gangway guard wasn't going to let me onboard so I wrote my name as 'Ivan Clohertyvisk' on a card and ask it be delivered to the Captain, which it was, I was welcomed with open arms, my lad given treatment whilst I and the Captain had a few drams of Johnny Walker Black Label and listen to all the current American hits and had a good laugh at how easy it was to fool a political guard, myself being an ex seaman I think also helped and I departed with a tin of caviar shoved in my pocket.

[j.sabourn]

Now that Ivan could be construed with consorting with the enemy. Now if it had been a Runciman ship the Ch. Steward would have over charged you for 6 cans of Tennants Lager, sold you a packet of out of date aspirins and would have found when you got ashore your wallet was missing. The Ch. Stwd would probably also have had a Geordie accent so you would know it wasn't him. you may also in the place of the Caviar been presented with a jar of Cappys famous pickles, which were highly recommended by various members of the animal kingdom. Cheers JS

[cappy]

Now that Ivan could be construed with consorting with the enemy. Now if it had been a Runciman ship the Ch. Steward would have over charged you for 6 cans of Tennants Lager, sold you a packet of out of date aspirins and would have found when you got ashore your wallet was missing. The Ch. Stwd would probably also have had a Geordie accent so you would know it wasn't him. you may also in the place of the Caviar been presented with a jar of Cappys famous pickles, which were highly recommended by various members of the animal kingdom. Cheers JS

###yes runcimans saved me from a fine pickle then tried to poison me with pickled beasties.......nobody ever bilieved that they could live in the vinegar ...but swim round they did ......only proved by rob who used to be on the site a lot ....but havnt heard from him for a while ........you still out there rob....regards cappy

[j.sabourn]

Rob, wasn't that Chief Engineer you poured the soup over, Cappy was he. Maybe he"s just realized who you are. It"s ok Rob he"s now done his time. On a serious note good job you mentioned cappy maybe Vernon will know if he"s ok. Is getting close to Vernons bedtime now so may pick up tomorrow. Went for a new mask for the apnea machine today cost a bomb and now look like a bum when go to bed, if don't wake up tomorrow you"ll know have been carried off by some evil spirit, look like one of these salvage divers used to work with. Cheers JS