Officials from the Ministry of Finance's Kaohsiung Customs Bureau boarded a North Korean freighter yesterday on suspicions that the ship is transporting illicit and dangerous chemical materials.
Customs officials searched the Be Gaehung, which arrived in Kaohsiung Harbor on Thursday from Bangkok, to unload some 2,000 tonnes of aluminum powder.
The search was conducted after officials had been informed by US intelligence authorities that the freighter might be carrying dangerous chemicals which could be used as materials in the production of nuclear weapons.
If any illicit or dangerous chemicals are discovered, the customs bureau said, it will then collaborate with authorities from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to tackle the matter.
The Be Gaehung has already unloaded 2,000 tonnes of aluminum powder and a smaller amount of goods listed as "commodities only for transit" are the target of the inspection, the bureau said.
Customs officials said that harbor authorities are acting cautiously and the bureau will act in accordance with international trade practices if any illicit chemicals are found which may impair the security and safety of the port, the officials said.
According to a report in a Chinese-language newspaper, the 6,500-tonne Be Gaehung is suspected by US intelligence authorities of transporting about 1 tonne of hydrafil, or aluminum hydroxide compound, bound for North Korea.
Hydrafil, widely used in aluminum refining, as an additive, is not dangerous in itself.
However, if combined with other chemicals, it can be processed into alumina which can be used in making the outer shells of missiles and other related materials, according to the report.
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