Shipping agent APL and Chinese captain fined HK$99,000 over Singaporean Terrex armoured troop carriers impounded in Hong Kong
- APL ordered to pay HK$90,000 and shipmaster Pan Xuejun HK$9,000, while captain is also slapped with three-month suspended jail term
- Guilty verdict comes nearly three years after seizure of the unlicensed vehicles, which caused a rare rift between the two cities in 2016
A leading shipping agent and a Chinese captain were on Monday fined a total of HK$99,000 (US$12,600) and the latter given a suspended jail term for bringing nine Singaporean military vehicles into Hong Kong without a proper licence nearly three years ago.
APL was ordered to pay HK$90,000 and shipmaster Pan Xuejun HK$9,000 after they were convicted at the District Court of breaching Hong Kong’s Import and Export Ordinance. Pan was also handed a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
APL is a sister company of leading cargo firm American President Lines, which is headquartered in Singapore.
While their lawyers argued during the trial that they were completely unaware of the military vehicles on board the vessel they were involved in running, Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi refused to accept their explanation.
“It could not be stored in a normal container, but a flat rack container,” Chan said, stressing the size of the armoured vehicles.
While there was a piece of large canvas placed on top of them as a cover, “the tyres could still be seen which could not be covered entirely”, Chan said, concluding it was not possible to have missed them.