Germans: Patriot missile shipment legit

Thor Liberty

   Finland’s Transport Safety Agency has rescinded an impoundment order on the ship Thor Liberty, which was detained in Kotka Harbor after what authorities said were irregularities in the packing of its cargo that included 29 Patriot missiles and explosives.
   YLE, Finland’s national broadcast company, reported during an inspection carried out on Monday, “the agency gave the green light for releasing the vessel after determining that all poorly packaged explosives were off the ship.”
   YLE added the Isle of Man-flagged ship “cannot yet set sail as customs officials are keeping some of the explosives in dock. In addition, a travel ban still affects both the ship’s Ukranian captain and first mate pending an investigation into the explosives cargo.”
   In reports last week, Finnish officials were reportedly unhappy with both the way the explosives were packaged and the documentation for the missiles. The fact that the ship was reportedly planning a stop in China also apparently sparked concern.
   But the Washington Post reported last week that an unnamed spokesman from Germany’s Defense Ministry said the missiles were part of a legitimate shipment to South Korea and the shipment “was fully declared and had all necessary clearings” from German authorities.
   Patriot missiles are made by Raytheon and sold to only a small number of countries, but Germany has been selling some missiles to South Korea under an intergovernmental agreement.