SHIPPING TO NORTH VIETNAM DURING JUNE 1970

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030096-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 18, 2011
• Sequence Number: 96
• Publication Date: July 1, 1970
• Content Type: IM

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-- / %.'A-p../-f~ .., ,...- -I
25X1
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence Memorandum
Shipping To North Vietnam During June 1970
ER IM 70-96
July 1970
Copy No. 66
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WARNING
This document contains information affecting the national
defense of the United States, within the meaning of Title
18, sections 793 and 794, of the US Code, as amended.
Its transmission or revelation of its contents to or re-
ceipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
GROUP 1
FetluJ,d Iron ouIOMOdt
JownpradI,, and
J,dmJf tudon
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Foreword.
All data in this memorandum are preliminary
and subject to minor changes as additional informa-
tion becomes available. Data for the preceding
month and monthly averages presented in the tables
have been adjusted to reflect corrections and addi-
tions. Weights of-cargoes are expressed in metric
tons. Because of rounding, components may not add
to the totals shown.
- iii -
SECRET
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE ..AGENCY
Directorate of. Intelligence
July 1970'
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
Shipping To North Vietnam During June 1970
Highlights
North Vietnamese seaborne imports in June
dropped sharply to 172,000 tons but remained above
the monthly average for the first five months in
1970 (see Tables 1 and 2). Foodstuff deliveries
fell to 53,500 tons, and for, the first time in
over three years, there were no imports of any kind
from Eastern Europe. Petroleum imports climbed to
49,500 tons, their highest level in seven months.
Four small consignments of probable military-related
cargo were delivered during the month by Soviet
ships.
North Vietnamese seaborne exports declined to
26,000 tons (see Tables 3 and 4), their lowest
level since September 1968, as coal exports fell 78%.
Forty ships arrived in North Vietnam from foreign
ports in June, nine less than in May. The govern-
ment of Cyprus, reacting to a voyage to North
Vietnam by the Cypriot-flag freighter Buonavia,
still under way as of 30 June, has taken firmer
measures to prevent ships flying its flag from
sailing to North or South Vietnam.
Note: This memorandum was produced solely by CIA.
It was prepared by the Office of Economic Resea4 ch
and information on ship arrivals was coordinated
with the Naval Intelligence Command.
r25X1
0,
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Seaborne Imports Decline
1. North Vietnamese seaborne imports declined
19% because of a decrease in foodstuff deliveries
from their high level in May and the absence of
imports from Eastern Europe Deliveries of food-
stuffs were at their lowest level in five months.
Soviet foodstuff deliveries, mostly wheat flour
from Vladivostok, fell to 34,700 tons, while those
from Communist China dropped to 18,500 tons. This
resulted from a sharp decrease in wheat and corn
deliveries from North China on Free World ships,
which was only part3y offset, by an~increase in rice
deliveries from South China on Chinese'Communist
ships.
2. Fertilizer imports fell by 41% with 13,300
tons from the; USSR, 21000 tons from North Korea,
and none from traditional suppliers in Eastern
Europe and Japan, Imports of general and miscel-
laneous cargo dropped to 53,400 tons largely as a
result of the absence of imports from Eastern
'-,Europe. Import: from the Free World fell to only
,,600??.tons, their lowest level since December 1968.
About 80 tons of probable military-related cargoes
..were. delivered in June by four Soviet ships, the
Bryans.kiy Rabochiy, the Aleksandr Tayurupa, the
Nikolay Nekrasov, and the Mytishchi, which also
delivered a small number of helicopter engines.
3. The expansion of petroleum deliveries by
33% stemmed from increased deliveries from the
Black Sea; deliveries from Pacific ports, the usual
origin of-these shipments w were down,. One of the
three-tankers from the Black Sea, the Leninakoye
Znamya, was being delivered to the Far East Steam-
ship Company. After discharging in North Vietnam,
the others will probably load cargo at Soviet
Pacific ports for delivery along the Northern Sea
Route, a normal procedure during the summer months.
Seaborne Exports
4. North Vietnamese seaborne exports fell more
than 20% as the result of a plunge in coal ship-
ments from 28,600 tons to 6,400 tons, their lowest
level in over five years.. All of the coal was
shipped from Cam Pha to Japan on the Soviet ships
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Bikin and PereaZavZ ZaZeaskiy, and none was shipped
from Hon Gai. Shipments of apatite rose to 11,700
tons. More than half of it went to Communist China
and the remainder to North Korea and Malaysia. Rice
exports, which reached 4,100 tons, their highest
monthly level in 1970, went to Singapore and
Malaysia. Cement exports were resumed in June
(there were none in May) with the dispatch of three
small consignments to Hong Kong on North Vietnamese
ships. Most of the 2,600 tons of general and miscel-
laneous cargo exports -- a motley assortment of duck
feathers, bamboo, fish, eggs, and lime powder --
went; to Hong Kong.
5. The first blast furnace of the bomb-damaged
Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Works to be rebuilt be-
came operational in June. This raises the possi-
bility that exports of pig iron will resume in the
near future. The last pig iron shipment was in
May 1967.
Haiphong Port Activir
6., There were 40 ship arrivals in North Vietnam
from foreign ports during June (see Table 5), nine
less than in May,. Soviet arrivals declined from 30
to 25 and Free World arrivals from nine to five
(three British and two Somalian). Congestion at
Haiphong port was moderate during June. The
average number of foreign dry cargo ships in port
per day remained at 18. The average layover time
for departing dry cargo ships, affected by the high
number of arrivals in May, rose from 13 to 17 days
(see Tables 6 and 7).
stronger Legislation to Keep Cypriot Ships
Out of North Vietnam Trade
7.. During November 1969 - June 1970, no
Cypriot-flag ships called in North Vietnam, primarily
because the government of Cyprus was successful in
persuading owners of ships under its flag not to
participate in the North Vietnam trade. In April
1970 the Bucnavia, a Cypriot- 25X1
flag ship, had passed the Bosporus en route from
the Black Sea to North Vietnam with cargo from
Romania. Having learned of this, the Cypriot Minis-
terial Council, exercising powers under 1966 legis-
lation that authorizes the prohibition of Cypriot--flag
I SECRET
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ships.from trade with countries such as North
Vietnam and Cuba, passed an order on 25 June pro-
hibiting Cypriot-flag ships from calling at either
North or South Vietnamese ports. If the Buonavia,
which was still en route on 30 June, does call at
Haiphong, it will be an illegal., act subjecting the
owners to prosecution. Prosecution may prove
difficult as the ship, built in 1942, is reportedly
scheduled for scrapping upon completion of the
voyage, and its nominal owner is a small corporation
with only one ship in its fleet.
SECRET
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Seaborne Imports, by Origin and Commodity
1970
Thousand Metric Tons
Foodstuffs
Fertilizer Petroleum
General and
Miscellaneous
Total
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
Average
Origin June Jan-May
June
Average
Jan-May June
Average
Jan-May
June
Average
Jan-May
June
Average
Jan-May
Communist 53.3 66.0
15.3
14.9 49.5
32.0
53.1
51.9
171.2
164.9
n
Ln
USSR 34.7 44.7
13.3
11.4 49.5
31.4
28.8
24.7
126.4
112.3
Eastern Europe - 0.1
2.0
-
-
9.4
-
11.4
China 18.5 17.3
0.6
22.0
17.1
40.5
35.0
North Korea - -
2.0
1.5 -
-
2.4
0.6
4.4
2.1
Japan
2.0 -
-
Negl.
0.3
Negl.
2.3
Cambodia
- -
-
-
2.8
-
2.8
Other 0.2
0.3
0.7
0.5
0.7
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Seaborne Imports, by Flag and commodity a/
1970
Flag
Food-
stuffs
Ferti-
lizer
Petro-
leum
General
and
Miscel-
laneous b'
Total
May
Monthly
Average
Jan-May
CO
Total
53.5
Cl)
Communist
45.4
15.3
49.5
38.5
148.8
173.7
144.4
C)
H
Soviet
34.9
13.3
49.5
29.1
126.9
133.1
115.5
East European
-
2.0
-
2.4 -
4.4
19.7
11.6
Chinese
10.5
-
-
.7.0
17.5
8.7
12.6
Cuban
-
North Vietnamese
-
Negl.
Negl.
Negi-
0.6
CZ. Identified imports include some estimates of bulk cargoes, using methods
which have proved to be highly reliable.
b. Including 25,100 metric tons of unidentified cargo, 13,400 tons of metal
products, 2,200 tons of machinery, and 1,300 tons of vehicles.
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Seaborne Exports, by Destination and Commodity
1970
Coal
Cement
Apatite
Ri
ce
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
Destinati
Average
Average
Average
Average
on
June
Jan-May
June
Jan-May
June
Jan-Ma
J
y
une
Jan-May
Total
6.4
31.0
0.7
1.1
11.7
8.1
4.1
1.3
Communist
0
13.5
0
0
10.7
8.1
0
0
-
-
-
China
12.5
6.7
1
5
-
-
North Korea
Cuba
Free World
6.4
17.5
0.7
1.1
1
0
.
Ne
i
4
1
.
g
.
.
1.3
Japan
Cambodia
6.4
-
15.5
-
-
-
-
Ne 1.
g
-
-
Other
-
2.0
0.7
1.1
1.0
-
-
4.1
-
1.3
General and
Miscellai-.eTotal
June
Monthly
Average
Jan-May
June
Monthl e
Average
Jan-May
2.6
3.6
25.6
4-5.2
Negl.
1.1
10.7
22.7
C=7
Negl.
0.1
Negl.
0.?
0.8
-
0.8
-
0.1
6.7
14.1
2.6
2.5
14.9
22.4
0.4
0.4
6.8
15.9
-
0.4
0.4
2.2
1.7
8.0
6.1
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Seaborne Exports, by Flag and Commodity a/
1970
Thousand Metri
T
c
ons
General and
Monthly
Flag
Coal
Cement
Apatite
Miscel-
Rice laneous
Total
May
Average
Jan-M
ay
Total
6.4
0.7
11.7
4.1 2.6
25.6
32
4
45
2
.
.
Communist
6.4
0.7
11.7
4.1 2
6
25
6
-
.
.
-
32.4
44.4
Soviet.
6.4
-
5.0
2.6 1.9
15
8
16
4
23
1
East European
Chinese
1.6
.
1.6
.
-
.
2.0
Cuban
- -
6.7
13.9
14.1
North Vietnamese
0.7
0.7
1.4
2.0
3.0
Free World
0
0
0
0= 0
0
0
0.8
a. Identified exports includ
e some
have proved to be highly reliable.
estimates
of bulk cargoes,
using methods
which
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Total
Origin
Dry cargo
Tanker
Black Far Communist Other Free
Type/Flag Sea East China Communist World
Communist
H
Soviet
East European
Bulgarian
Polish
Chinese
Cuban
North Vietnamese
British
Somalian
Other
Tab e 5
Ship Arrivals, by. Type, Flag, and Origin
1970
8 14
10
1 7
4
0
Total
May
Total
Monthly
Average
Jan-May
40
49
44.4
35
40
38.4
5
9
6.0
35
40
38.0
25
30
25.4
1
3
2.6
1
0.6
2
2.0
5
4
5.6
1
0.8
4
2
3.6
5
9
6.4
3
6
4.6
2
3
1.6
-
-
0.2
a/
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Average Number of Dry Cargo Ships in Haiphong per Day
Number of Ships
1967
1968
1969
1970
January"
7
21
24
14
February
10
23
21
17-
March-_
16
23
21
15
April .
16
19
21
15
May-
18
16
20
18
June'
25 -
23
18-
cn
.c
N
o
Julr
22
30
CC~7
t
August
17
28
E-?
September.-
13
3.4-
October
13
33
November
12
29
December
13
27
Average for year
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AveTl-e Layover Times
for Foreign Dry Cargo Ships Departing Haiphong a/
Number of Days
January
12
15
25
13
February
~0
27
21
14
March
13
28
17
17
April
12
19
19
14
May
17
14
20
13
June
22
17
21
17
July
24
25
21
cn
l~7
August
33
31
22
September
19
41
21
October
19
35
19
November
18
30
16
y
December
15
29
14
Average for year
a. The average layover time for departing dry cargo ships is compiled by
averaging layover times (including both the day of arrival and the day of
departure) of all foreign dry cargo ships leaving Haiphong in the month.
Tankers are excluded from the average because they do not compete with dry
cargo ships for the limited berthing space in Haiphong.
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