• Published 00:00 16.09.07
  • Latest update 00:00 16.09.07

Records on North Korean ship docked in Syria were altered

Syrian Web sites erase mention of ship after release of report linking alleged IAF strike to N. Korean shipment.

By Yossi Melman Tags: North Korea Syria Yossi Melman

Click here for more articles by Yossi Melman

Online databases tracking a ship reportedly flying a North Korean flag that docked in Syria have changed their records following a report in The Washington Post linking the alleged Israeli air strike in Syria to a North Korean shipment.

Ronen Solomon, who searches information in the public domain for companies, told Haaretz he found references to a ship called Al Hamad on three different Web sites after the initial reports of the Israeli raid in Syria on September 6. These included the official sites of Syria's Tartous Port and the Egyptian Transportation Ministry.

Two of the three sites said the ship was flying a North Korean flag, and the third site reported it was flying a South Korean flag.

Haaretz confirmed Solomon's report.

Saturday, the Washington Post published an article citing an American Mideast expert, who said a shipment that arrived in Syria three days before the alleged Israel Air Forces strike was labeled as cement, but that Israel believed it carried nuclear equipment.

Following the Washington Post report, Solomon returned to the three sites, and discovered that all mentions of the North Korean flag on Al Hamad had been deleted, and that the ship's flag was now registered as 'unknown.'

The official site of Syria's Tartous Port, www.tartousport.com, had reported that Al Hamad, flying a North Korean flag and carrying cement, entered the port on September 3. Solomon stressed that several North Korean ships docked at Tartous during August.

Syria said IAF planes entered its airspace on September 5.

According to the site, the ship had passed through Tripoli port in Lebanon, Solomon said.

He then found a site, www.e-ships.net, that said Al Hamad was registered as a 1,700-ton ship intended for general cargo and flying a North Korean flag. The ship had been built in 1965 and had had several owners, according to the site.

In addition, Solomon found on the Web site of Egypt's Transportation Ministry, www.MTS.gov.eg, a record that Al Hamad had docked in Damietta Port Said in the Nile Delta about a month earlier, on July 28. However, this site registered the ship as flying a South Korean flag.

Haaretz was able to access the Tartous Port Internet site until Saturday afternoon, after which it went offline for several hours.

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  • 25. 0 0
    North Korean Nukes Don't Work
    • Angel Elf
    • 08.10.07
    • 16:12

    I think that after all the money spent by Kim on his atom bomb project, the bomb was a dud. Notice how quick he was to give up the project? So now he has all of this nuclear material to sell to someone that can use it. Also the lack of protest from Syria about this raid is deafening. Could it be that the Israelis have threatened Assad himself? Remember that overflight by Israeli planes last summer? It seems that Israeli planes can penetrate Syrian air defense at ease.

  • 24. 0 0
    isca
    • North Korean ship...
    • 07.10.07
    • 17:39

    "Cowards die many times before their death", often times the lie will not help preserve them but lengthens the pain of cowardice. It is only a matter of time before the destruction of Damascus is fulfilled as stated in the scriptures. Pity when you evade the Truth. We live in time of fulfilment of prophecies, Syria should consult Biblical teachers.

  • 23. 0 0
    Something fishy here!
    • blowback
    • 03.10.07
    • 22:25

    According to e-ships.net the ship Al Hamed of 1718DWT and built in 1965 has an unknown flag. There is no entry on e-ships.net for Al Hamad. Also, doing a search on Google for Al Hamed within the site tartousport.com gives three results. The first for news updated at 1.30 on 8/7/2007 shows Al Hamed as arrived and waiting for berthing with the arrival date shown as 30/6/07, the cargo shown as cement and weight as 1700. The second is the cached page which shows waiting ships on 8/8/2007 and shows ALHAMED arriving on 30/7/2007 carrying cement and no weight. If the cargo was nuclear goods, why did it sit outside the port waiting for almost two months to unload (if it unloaded on September 3rd). The site does not appear to carry a history of all visits so if the ship had unloaded and departed on September 3rd, there would be no reason for an entry on the website. Haaretz should explain further what they are on about.

  • 22. 0 0
    I doubt it's S.Korean
    • Paul
    • 18.09.07
    • 19:35

    It has to be a Northern thing!North always seems to be a war zone,in any country.

  • 21. 0 0
    That ships name
    • Paul
    • 18.09.07
    • 19:33

    according to an article I just read,the ships name is:"Al Hamed."Now when ever has Korea named their vessels Al Hamed?I bet it was manned,by Koreans and Arabs etc.And I wouldn't doubt that they are armed,to the gills.

  • 20. 0 0
    Provacation of war
    • Jason Webb
    • 18.09.07
    • 09:08

    Israel attack in Syria is a provocation of war. Syria will buy more missile and accquire more nuke warhead to defend thier country..

  • 19. 0 0
    Liars are always weak
    • paul
    • 18.09.07
    • 04:13

    Show me one strong liar!Satan is so called strong,only through deception like the above info,on Syria and her lover/s!Scripture always calls them "Lovers.''

  • 18. 0 0
    tartous
    • paul
    • 18.09.07
    • 04:09

    It looks like the Greek for:"Tartarus",a place where certain demons are chained,up!It's a New Testament word(Koine)or participate Language.Jesus spoke of it!

  • 17. 0 0
    A rather 'strange story indeed......
    • Dagma
    • 16.09.07
    • 14:57

    and contradictions here and there.... 'mystery' ships in the area..... North Korea one of the 'Axis of Evil' obligingly giving up on its 'nuclear ambitions!..... Syria playing her role discreetly but unconvincingly.... Israel adamant that she has accomplished something 'big'.... So, what's the mystery? Has Kim Jong Il sold out for some fabulous amount of 'greenbacks' to Iran and Iran leaving it in the hands of Syria who is nearest to Israel.... with all sorts of weird and cunning ideas of one day soon doing the necessary and 'wiping Israel off the map' finally....... ? Here is one who feels that there is every possibility that there could be a War in the region in the not too distant future. Watch out Israel and get rid of Olmert NOW!

  • 16. 0 0
    Mistery Ship
    • Chris
    • 16.09.07
    • 13:03

    According to the site, the ship had passed through Tripoli port in Lebanon, Solomon said. What about the German navy deployed there ? Funny ...

  • 15. 0 0
    It says that it was South Korean in Egypt one month earlier
    • Eyal
    • 16.09.07
    • 12:12

    Read closely...It is interesting that the article quotes: "In addition, Solomon found on the Web site of Egypt's Transportation Ministry, www.MTS.gov.eg, a record that Al Hamad had docked in Damietta Port Said in the Nile Delta about a month earlier, on July 28. However, this site registered the ship as flying a South Korean flag." Either this means that the Egyptians are in on the cover up for the Syrians (unlikely) or it was a S. Korean vessel and the argument of our most trustworthy Israeli intelligence is questionable... perhaps spreading hasbara...to justify policy...???

  • 14. 0 0
    I'm shocked I tell you SHOCKED. Shameful
    • Jasmine Murphy
    • 16.09.07
    • 11:17

    Yeah right. Nobody's shocked. Nobody finds it shameful because it's Syria that did it. But let Israel do something like that then the whole crowd of apologists scream condemnation.

  • 13. 0 0
    US Navy ,CIA,NSA ,whatever, as inept as before the 9/11
    • Absolute Sweden
    • 16.09.07
    • 10:51

    Unless of course the US wants Israel to incur the wrath of North Korea,letting the ship to sail many thousand miles without intercepting it.

  • 12. 0 0
  • 11. 0 0
    Who stands to gain the most?
    • Adrian de Klerk
    • 16.09.07
    • 10:06

    Who stands to gain the most by altering the ships docking records??? Answer: Syria, which is why they alterd te records.

  • 10. 0 0
    very strange how amateurish the records are usually altered befor
    • victor hardman
    • 16.09.07
    • 09:46

    or during sailing ?? this done by legally changing the owner and registering a different destination!! then the ship can lawfully offload somewhere else by distressing the cargo! the old terminology of machine parts was modernised to cement ! however cement is palletised or sent off in slings , you cant disguise it !!

  • 9. 0 0
    CAPTURE DAMASCUS,INVADE SYRIA,ANNUL TREAT)))))))))))
    • VOICE of MOSHIACH)))
    • 16.09.07
    • 09:44

  • 8. 0 0
    A RECORD THAT NEVER EXISTED
    • indrajaya
    • 16.09.07
    • 09:44

    All of this North Korea Nuclear connection was nothing but a damage control from Israel part for a failed mission to provoke a Syrian retaliation upon violation of her airspace. ISRAEL IS TRYING TO CHANGE THE ISSUE FROM AGRESSION to SELF-DEFENCE.

  • 7. 0 0
  • 6. 0 0
    #1, B'galil...
    • Silvienne
    • 16.09.07
    • 09:30

    Olmert doesn't look much better...worst of all, take a glance over here at my own country, and who passes as our president...thank goodness he's only got another year and two months to go. Before he goes.

  • 5. 0 0
    korean mystery ship
    • Mark Katzman
    • 16.09.07
    • 08:47

    It was really the "Big Red Boat" from DisneyWorld, and the Capt. was Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck was the first officer!

  • 4. 0 0
    You mean Syria was lying???
    • B'galil
    • 16.09.07
    • 08:27

    The real question is will Assad survive this mess. After all, he looks very foolish and weak after this fiasco.

  • 3. 0 0
    Syria and her friends are bellicose liars.
    • Theodor
    • 16.09.07
    • 07:18

    It's funny how the truth bubbles to the surface.

  • 2. 0 0
    ha ha ha ....another arab trap
    • Marcel
    • 16.09.07
    • 07:15

    I remember the poor Nasrallah who has no ties to the hizbullah leader ... Ha ha ha ... The ship arrived september 3 and IAF bomb the shipmant 2 days after???????? Who is going to believe this big lie????

  • 1. 0 0
    The plot thickens
    • RA
    • 16.09.07
    • 07:03

    And the Syrians and North Koreans have been caught with their pants down. Israel wins again!