Sirens Sound in Kaohsiung: A Fishery Boss Turns into an Oil Smuggler
Kaohsiung’s district prosecutor’s office has started a full‑blown investigation after a Tai‑wan‑as‑Lost‑at‑Sea businessman allegedly sold oil to North Korea, breaking UN sanctions. The culprit’s name? Chen – a smooth‑talking ship owner with a knack for hiding paperwork.
What’s the Deal?
Two months ago, Seoul seized a Hong Kong‑registered vessel that was suspected of passing oil to a North Korean ship. The ship, reportedly named Lighthouse Winmore, hitched the crew–backed “Hong Kong” trip out of international waters and then sold roughly 600 tonnes of oil off the coast of China. The whole shebang began with 14,000 tonnes of Japanese refined oil that the ship took in at Yeosu on Oct 11.
- In October, the ship docked at Yeosu, loaded oil, and started its faux voyage.
- During this “trip,” it allegedly swapped 600 tonnes of oil in international waters for the North Korean vessel Sam Jong 2.
- After the transfer, the ship waltzed back to Yeosu.
Now the Taiwanese prosecutor’s office says Chen lied about the ship’s destination—claiming “Hong Kong” when the trip was clearly meant to get dodgy oil into the hands of a North Korean flag.
Chen’s Little Tactic
The Company “Billions Bunker Group Corp.” is technically based in the Marshall Islands, not Taiwan, although Chen runs a fishery firm there now. He accused a “Chinese middleman” of telling him that the oil was not destined for North Korea, a claim that prosecutors scoffed at and declared that he was definitely “involved”. The agent saw it as a loophole and just shipped it without a second look.
Chen has been released on bail but can’t leave the island until the investigation is wrapped up. He also faced a heavy call from the UN to keep the ship black‑listed after the latest sanctions targeted refined petroleum.
Why All the Drama?
Last year, the UN shoved three layers of sanctions on North Korea: iron, coal, fishing (Aug 5), textiles & oil (Sept 11), and the latest refined petroleum (Dec 22). South Korea seized a Panama‑flagged ship two weeks earlier for the same kind of oil transfers. The US demanded the Security Council blacklist ten ships. China began a debate about how many to blacklist and ended with only four. Chen’s case just added another style to the international “tightening” storyline.
Bottom Line
In short, we’ve got Chen (fishery champ), Lighthouse Winmore (the infamous shuffler), South Korea (the chippoer of the sea), and UN sanctions (the world’s ultimate rule‑maker). The plot thickens—and it tells a tale of how a fishery mogul can get caught in a global oil game.
