Archived updates on the An Yue Jiang
The updates listed on this page are archived entries that originated from our consolidated action page here.
Sign the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) ‘Stop The Zimbabwe Arms Shipment’ petition here. Please sign it and spread word of it widely.
24-04-08 ~ 19.35 pm:
News everywhere is that the ship has been recalled to China, but an article posted a lunch time today in South Africa has a different view:
The ship An Yue Jiang, loaded with weapons for Zimbabwe, is expected to dock in Lobito, Angola at midday on Friday, where activists hope it will meet the same fate as it did in Durban last week.
International Transport Workers Federation’s spokesperson Sam Dawson said on Wednesday that they were “extremely confident” that the Chinese container ship was on its way to Lobito. Preparations would be made to prevent its cargo from being off-loaded by dock workers there.
The Chinese ship had been spotted off the western coast of Africa, he said, but declined identify the ITFs sources, since they would be in danger of being exposed. He said the ship was sailing at 11 knots and would, by ITF calculations, be outside Lobito on Friday.
Union preparations were continuing to block attempts to unload and transport the cargo “and any attempt to do so will be met by the strongest possible trade union response”.
24-04-08 ~ 09.15 pm:
According to The Times (South Africa), the An Yue Jiang has disappeared from sight:
The Chinese cargo vessel carrying arms for Zimbabwe dipped out of sight yesterday, but is thought to be still off the South African coast.
The position of the ship, the An Yue Jiang, was last plotted on Tuesday, when it was heading northwest at about 10 knots, about 40km southeast of the Cape of Good Hope.
The maritime intelligence unit of insurers Lloyd’s of London then lost track of it.
The article refers to suspicion that the SA Navy might be helping it - allegations the SA defence ministry has denied.
23-04-08 ~ 20.35 pm:
There are growing calls for a full arms embargo against Zimbabwe:
Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Makgoba called for a U.N. arms embargo against Zimbabwe, saying the plight of its people was heartbreaking (Reuters)
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown didn’t mince his words on the subject:
“A message should be sent from the whole of the UK that what is happening in Zimbabwe, failing to announce an election result, trying to rig an election result, is completely unacceptable.
“I call on the whole world to express its view that this is completely unacceptable to the whole of the international community.
“Because of what has happened in South Africa, where there is an arms shipment trying to get to Zimbabwe, we will promote proposals for an embargo on all arms to Zimbabwe.
“At the same time we ask all the African Union observers and the international observers to make their views known about the unfairness of this election.”
The prime minister is seeking support for what he views as a de facto embargo already imposed by many of Zimbabwe’s neighbors, said a spokesman for Brown’s office, on condition of anonymity in line with government practice.
“We’ve seen action not just in South Africa, but also in Mozambique, Namibia, Angola and from the Southern African Development Community,” the spokesman said. (link)
And then there are the lows… those of us who’ve been hugely encouraged by Jacob Zuma’s stance compared to his ANC predecessor Thabo Mbeki might feel a bit deflated by this:
The proposal did not win support from Zuma, who said he does not believe a wider embargo is necessary yet.
“I don’t think we have reached the stage where we have to call for an arms embargo,” Zuma said as he left the meeting with Brown.
22-04-08 ~ 18.25 pm:
Reports today are that China may recall the ship - this from Polity.org.za:
China said on Tuesday a shipment of weapons bound for Zimbabwe may return home after the vessel was unable to unload in South Africa, but it defended the cargo as “perfectly normal trade”.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu also said:
… said the contract for the shipment was signed last year and was “unrelated to recent developments” in Zimbabwe.
Jiang said the arms shipment was “perfectly normal trade in military goods between China and Zimbabwe”…
This is a marked departure from what they said on the 20th April; namely:
China has always had a prudent and responsible attitude towards arms sales, and one of the most important principles is not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.â€
The Associated Press have a report that the US Government is using its influence with African nations:
The Bush administration is intervening with governments in southern Africa to prevent a Chinese ship carrying weapons for Zimbabwe’s security forces from unloading its cargo, The Associated Press has learned.
U.S. intelligence agencies are tracking the vessel, the An Yue Jiang, and American diplomats have been instructed to press authorities in at least four nations — South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Angola — not to allow it to dock, the officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss delicate diplomatic talks.
And LLoyds have issued information on the ship as well (via IOL):
On Monday, London-based maritime research company Lloyd’s MIU said there were 32 ports in Africa capable of taking the An Yue Jiang.
“Given the intense media interest and the fact that this ship has six cranes on board, an increasingly likely scenario is the possibility of a ship-to-ship transfer of the controversial cargo ‘over the horizon’ while the vessel is at sea,” said Lloyd’s MIU.
It said there were 311 vessels in the area capable of taking the cargo, two of which were owned by the An Yue Jiang’s owners, the China Ocean Shipping Company.
JS, one of our commentators identified those two ships as
Feng Shun Shan, in harbour at Durban
Le Shan no current location and may be on the move, having transhipped the An Yue Jiang cargo “over the horizon†at sea.
Let’s not all forget the possiblity that arms may be brought in by air.
21-04-08 ~ 23.55 pm:
Very alarming news just reported on news24.com:
According to Beeld’s sources, the meeting took place because the generals apparently were worried that any further delays would run the delivery of the really big guns into the ground.
The Zimbabwean military’s operational planning could also suffer as a result.
Orders placed three days after poll
Both orders were apparently placed only weeks ago. The paperwork for the ship carrying the weapons, the An Yue Jiang, was finalised in Beijing on April 1 - three days after the Zimbabwean elections.
The step to rather use an aircraft apparently was taken to keep the nature and extent of the load secret from the outside world.
“There is no way that anyone is going to determine what will be delivered,” said Beeld’s source.
“What is known is that the kind of weaponry which is manufactured in Shenzhen, in the second consignment, is highly sophisticated and not just the kind of basic mortars and ammunition that’s on the ship,” said Beeld’s source.
Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, is one of China’s core industrial manufacturing cities.
21-04-08 ~ 22.20 pm:
Luanda port authorities have said the ship has not sought authoriation to dock there:
A Chinese ship loaded with weapons intended for Zimbabwe has neither sought nor received authorisation to dock in Angola, port authorities in Luanda said on Monday.
“This ship has not sought request to enter Angolan territorial waters and it’s not authorised to enter Angolan ports,” Filomeno Mendonca, director of the Institute of Angolan Ports, told Luanda Radio LAC.
[...]
“We have warned our ports that this ship does not have authorisation to enter in Angola and therefore will not be assisted in Angola,” he said.
“I’m waiting for a message from South Africa, giving me the name of the ship and the situation so I can control the situation better.”
Namibia maybe? Apparently not:
There has been no request by a Chinese ship carrying arms and ammunition destined for Zimbabwe to dock in either of Namibia’s two ports, Namibian port authorities said on Monday.
Wessels Feris, acting manager for marketing and strategic business development at Namport, which operates both the ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, said: “We have not had any request and there is no indication that she will come here.”
21-04-08 ~ 19.00 pm:
We’ve received an email from someone who telephoned Lloyds Vessel Casualty register. Apparently we should not read too much into the word ‘casualty’; it could include anything from a ship in crisis to an injured deck hand. (This was suggested in an email from one of the commenters on this blog as well). The Lloyds employee said the last known whereabouts of the ship were as it left Durban and, according to the person who emailed us, the guy appeared to not know where the ship was.
However, there has been an article written in The Cape Argus which says “naval intelligence sources confirmed that at 5pm yesterday the ship was spotted steaming south past Cape St Francis - ‘heading towards Luanda’”.
Lloyds also said they’ve been fielding a lot of enquiries on the vessel, and indicated they might be issuing a press statement tomorrow.
21-04-08 ~ 17.00 pm:
The whereabouts of the An Yue Jiang are still not conclusively known to the public although it is understood that her whereabouts are being tracked by others (see previous update). In the meanwhile, workers are organising themselves everywhere in an incredible and very moving show of solidarity with the Zimbabwean people.
The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called for an international boycott of the vessel.
“Cosatu is doing everything possible to alert the international trade union movement to the danger to the workers of Zimbabwe if the cargo is allowed to be unloaded and delivered to Mugabe’s forces.
“The federation is writing to its comrades in other federations, including those of Angola and China to enlist their support for the international workers’ boycott,” the union said in a statement.
And the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) - a federation of more than 650 unions representing 4.5 million transport workers in 148 countries across the world - has said:
“Our objective is to mobilise and organise unions in Africa to take a firm stand and try to stop the ship from offloading these dangerous weapons which could be used to kill Zimbabweans”
21-04-08 ~ 10.50 am:
This article on news24.com reports that Zimbabwe’s generals are desperate for the arms to reach Zimbabwe, and it suggests that once the ship docks the arms may be transported to Zimbabwe by air. More on the ships whereabouts and situation below:
Insiders thought that because of the controversial nature of the cargo and a fuel shortage, the ship would be forced to dock in one of Angola’s harbours south of Luanda. Namibe and Lobito would possibly be used.
Navy sources said on Sunday that the ship’s route was being watched but that it would probably not stray from international waters out of fear that South Africa would intercept it.
“It is not known how much fuel the ship had on board but without rebunkering in Durban the ship will have to proceed very economically,” Beeld was told.
This meant a speed of about 30km/h, at which rate it would reach Luanda by Tuesday evening at the earliest.
The navy, the police, Interpol and international intelligence organisations were watching the ship via satellite.
20-04-08 ~ 4.50 pm:
The Times (South Africa) reveals Robert Mugabe’s desperate need for weapons:
Robert Mugabe has been scrambling to secure weapons for Zimbabwe’s brutal military in the aftermath of his March 29 election defeat.
Amid an international outcry over an attempt by Zimbabwe to obtain 77 tons of Chinese-made arms via Durban this week, it has been revealed that:
- Just days after the elections, officers from the police, the armed forces, the Central Intelligence Organisation and the president’s bodyguard were queueing for weapons at defence companies;
- A lack of foreign currency has led to a series of botched arms purchases; and
- The country is being forced to buy weapons because its own arms company has collapsed to the point of making coffins rather than weapons.
20-04-08 ~ 3.10 pm:
A report in today’s Sunday Times now says it is unlikely that the ship has enough fuel to reach Luanda. The article suggests the ship might attempt to re-fuel at East London, Port Elizabeth or Cape Town.
Jasa [Justice Alliance of South Africa] on Sunday urged the port authorities in East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town to be on their guard lest the ship tries to obtain fuel surreptiously.
Jasa said when the case returns to the Durban High Court on Friday, Judge Kate Pillay must take judicial notice of the brutal military campaign of repression headlined in all the Sunday newspapers.
“There can be no doubt, as the Sunday Times spells out, that the ship’s cargo is designed to strengthen this campaign of intimidation of voters.”
Should the ship re-enter SA territorial waters, she should be arrested by the SA Navy, escorted into harbour, and the High Court order taped to her mast.
“The arms must then be put in bond until assurances are obtained from the Chinese Government that they will be returned to China. Any promise from the ship owner is insufficient as it becomes unenforceable the moment the ship leaves SA territorial waters.
“The captain may say he is going home and yet immediately sail for Angola once he has fuel in his bunkers.”
20-04-08 ~ 1pm:
The Sunday Independent (South Africa) maintains that the An Yue Jiang is heading to Luanda, Angola.
In the same article, the Chinese Foreing Ministry is quoted as saying:
“China and Zimbabwe maintain normal trade relations. China has always had a prudent and responsible attitude towards arms sales, and one of the most important principles is not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.”
From the comments on our action post, Jo Bloggs and Scotchcart point to the fact that the ship was listed as a casualty on the Lloyds Vessel Casualty register. Anyone know what this means?
20-04-08 ~ 2.30am:
The former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has urged African leaders to do more to address the crisis in Zimbabwe: “It is a rather dangerous situation. It’s a serious crisis with impact beyond Zimbabwe.” (link)
This report suggests that although people belive the ship is heading for Angola, it’s whereabouts are still unknown.
The same article has this quote:
Andrew Linington, a spokesman for Nautilus, the main union for UK maritime professionals, said he was confident the ship would never be unloaded by any of their colleagues around the world. “We are part of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITWF] and we have been very strong in our support of the workers in South Africa who refused to allow this ship to dock. Our hope is that there will be international support to not have anything to do with this vessel. It is a worry to us, however, that the cover of merchant shipping is being used to carry arms in this way.”
Speaking about the South African workers’ decision, ITWF general secretary David Cockcroft said: “This is a significant act of solidarity with Zimbabwe’s working people. We fully, strongly and uncategorically support these actions and will be following the case with the closest of interests.”
Zimbabwe’s deputy information minister, Bright Matonga, responded on Friday. “How they are used, when they are going to be used is none of anybody’s business.”
19-04-08 ~ 6.49pm:
The ship has left Durban and according to the Mail and Guardian it is bound for Angola. This extract from the Mail and Guardian.
A Chinese ship carrying arms to Zimbabwe, which was turned away from South Africa, is heading to Angola in hopes of docking there, the transport minister of Mozambique said on Saturday.
[...]
We know that it registered its next destination as Luanda because here we wouldn’t allow it into Mozambican waters without prior arrangements”, he said.
