Was North Korean rustbucket stuck on Mexico reef sent to smuggle Cuba arms?
North Korean vessel aground on Mexican reef has similarities to one impounded in Panama
A North Korean freighter has run aground in the Gulf of Mexico just days after a stop in Havana that sparked comparisons with another Pyongyang vessel captured last summer with an illegal shipment of Cuban weapons.
The 130-metre Mu Du Bong grounded on a reef about 11km from the Mexican port of Tuxpan, according to shipping officials. The task of pulling it off the reef would be complicated and take several days, they said.
The ship was empty and planning to pick up cargo in Tuxpan when it ran aground because its captain "lost his bearings". Tuxpan is one of Mexico's main sugar-exporting ports.
Port administrators told the El Nuevo Herald they did not know whether the Mu Du Bong was entering or leaving the port. An official at the port's office said no one there was authorised to give information on the case.
An odd mast surrounded by wires .. could be some sort of crane …
Speculation about the freighter arose even before its mishap because its voyage was similar to that of the Chong Chon Gang, seized by Panama last summer. An estimated 240 tonnes of Cuban weapons and military gear were found hidden under 220,000 sacks of sugar.