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Independent Newspapers 21/4/2008

Zim arms ship 'not in Namibia'

April 21 2008 at 07:55PM

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."

The An Yue Jiang lifted its anchor off Durban on Friday night moments after the Durban High Court ordered it to dock in Durban and offload its controversial cargo into the custody of the sheriff of Durban.

On Monday afternoon, South African defence ministry spokesman Themba Gadebe said: "The SA National Defence Force is updated on regular basis with regard to the ship's movement through its maritime intelligence sources, and we will follow the best legal course of action should we be requested to act against the ship."

He would not say where the ship was located, except to say that earlier on Monday it was situated off the west coast of South Africa.

Ship with arms for Zim flees Durban after court ruling

Durban, South Africa

19 April 2008 07:49

A ship that was carrying weapons and ammunition destined for Zimbabwe lifted
anchor and sailed from Durban less than an hour after the Durban High Court
ordered that its controversial cargo cannot be transported across South
Africa to that country.

The An Yue Jiang lifted anchor between 6pm and 7pm on Friday evening.

Several sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the
ship had set sail from the outer anchorage off the port of Durban, where it
had been at anchor since at least Monday.

The ship's master, who identified himself as Captain Sunaijun, told the
South African Press Association by radio phone on Friday night: "I am
awaiting orders from my owner."

He refused to answer any other questions.

It was not immediately known where the vessel, owned by Chinese state-owned
company Cosco Group, was headed.

Nicole Fritz, the director of the Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC),
said she had been informed that as the sheriff of the Durban High Court
approached the vessel, it lifted anchor and began sailing.

She said that if the ship went to Mozambique, the SALC would seek similar