NK ship captured in Somalia over sea dumping: media

Somali authorities have seized a North Korean vessel for allegedly dumping cement off the country's coast, and plan to bring its crew to a local court, a U.S. news Web site monitoring North Korean issues reported Monday.

A North Korean-flagged ship and its crew were captured by the quasi-government of Puntland near the coast of the Puntland port city of Bossaso while discharging some 5,000 tons of cement, NK News said, citing Somali radio station, Radio Gaalkacyo.

It did not specify the day of seizure or the number and nationality of crew members.

The M.V. Daesan vessel had been headed to Mogadishu but its cargo was rejected by businessmen there because the cement had been spoiled by water leakage, the radio report said.

Somali authorities condemned the dumping as "illegal" and "environmentally destructive."

The radio said the crew will be brought to a local court for indictment "soon," citing an unidentified source.

In July of this year, 33 crew members on board the M.V. Daesan were rescued by Oman's naval forces near the Suez canal. (Yonhap)