FOREIGN SHIPPING TO NORTH VIETNAM DURING MAY 1968

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T02095R000800070079-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 19
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 15, 2008
• Sequence Number: 79
• Publication Date: June 1, 1968
• Content Type: IM

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Secret
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence Memorandum
Foreign Shipping to North Vietnam
During May 1968
Secret
ER IM 68-73
June 1968
Cop N?- 171
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Foreword
The data in this memorandum are preliminary and
subject to modification as additional information
becomes available. Significant changes may occur
in ship arrivals and cargoes from Communist China
and, to a lesser extent, in cargoes carried by
ships of the Free World. Soviet and Eastern
European. ship arrivals and cargoes and Free World
arrivals are not likely to be changed significantly.
To reflect changes in previous reports, Table 1
includes monthly arrivals, by flag. Weights of
cargoes are expressed in metric tons. Because of
rounding, components may not add to the totals
shown.
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.CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
June 1968
Foreign Shipping to North Vietnam
During May 1968
Summary
In May, 52 foreign ships, the highest number
of arrivals since March 1965, delivered a record
volume of 221,,000 tons of cargo. Bulk food imports
of 96,500 tons surpassed the previous record
volume by about.40 percent. Petroleum deliveries
.totaling 40,300 tons were second only to the record
volume in April. Seaborne exports fell slightly,
to 76 , 700 tons, probably because of congestion at
the coal ports. Average layover time for foreign
ships departing Haiphong decreased from..19 days in
April to 14 days in May.
Free World ships made 18 calls in May, the
highest total since January 1966 and significantly
.higher than the monthly averages in the first four
months of 1968 and in 1967, as shown in Figure 1,
Tables 1 and 2?, and the following. tabulation:
Note: This memorandum was produced solely by CIA.
It was prepared by the Office of Economic Research
and information on ship arrivals was coordinated
with the Naval Intelligence Command.
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LjivlX.i, i
Monthly Average
Flag
April
May
Jan-Apr 1968
1967
Total
40
52
39.5
32.2
Communist Countries
27
34
25.7
USSR
18
20
1.8.0
15.1
Eastern Europe
1
3
1.8
2.4
Communist China
8
10
85
8.1
Cuba
1
0.5
0.1
United Kingdom
10
13
9.0
5.6
Other
3
5
1.8
0.9
?:Additional stevedores and around-the-clock work-
ing of,ships without interruption by air raid alerts
qui-dkened port operations in Haiphong. Ships de-
parting in May-after delivering foodstuffs remained
in' port ' an average ~of eight days, compared with an
average of 12 days during the first quarter of 1968.
The comparable reduction for ships delivering
general cargoes was from 34 days to 28 days. Dredg-
ing in Haiphong harbor has been at a high level.
since mid-April, and construction and repair work
on the Chamber of Commerce Wharves-continues.
The'downward trend in layover times of ships in
Haiphong probably will be reversed in June. 'Between
15 and'31 May the number of dry cargo ships in port
increased by 85 percent. An anticipated high level
of arrivals in June will add to this backlog.
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SECRET North Vietnam: Foreign-Flag Ship Arrivals
1965
Total 44
25
20
I0
EASTERN EUROPEAN
COMMUNIST COUNTRIES
1966
Total 32
Figure I
1967
Total 32
ARRIVALS PER MONTH
Jane Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1968
*Excluding Two Cuban Ships
'Excluding One Cuban Ship
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Situation at the Ports (See Figure 2)
1. Port operations at Haiphong improved con-
siderably in May. Despite the record volume of
imports, average layover time for foreign freighters
departing Haiphong fell from 19 days in April to
14 days in May and the average daily number of ships
in Haiphong fell from 19 to 16 ~,
2. A number of factors contributed to this
improved performance. The stevedore force has
reportedly been augmented by shifting farming and
defense workers from the country to Haiphong. The
additional stevedores made possible the simultaneous
unloading of four or five hatches; prior to the
bombing pause most ships worked only two hatches at
a time. The unloading and loading of ships in May
continued around the clock in contrast to earlier
periods when stevedoring operations were halted
during airstrikes on nearby areas. Lightering of
ships continued at earlier levels. Photography of
2 and 3 June shows three ships discharging into
lighters in the lower Bach Dang anchorage (see the
photograph) and a moderate daylight movement of
waterborne logistics craft in the Cua Cam River.
Before the bombing pause, these craft moved mostly
at night.
The Cuban- {.fag Ship Gutis a (2) D.us -
chvtging Sugars ontoth-e-7S-ingapone-
4tag Ship Go.eden Ocean (1) and the
North Vietnamese S !`pBen Thuy (3)
in the Lower. Bach Dang n~ ag e
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3. Cargoes were moved inland from the port
without interruption, but not at a rate sufficient
to-keep pace with unloading of ships. Photography
of 3 June reveals a 10-percent increase since
'9 May-in the amount of cargo observed in open
storage and a 30-percent increase in the amount of
cargo between the wharves and the warehouses.*
4. There will probably be some increase in
average layover time for ships departing Haiphong in
June because 30 of the 52 ships that arrived in May
entered Haiphong during the second half of the month,
increasing the number of ships in Haiphong from 13
to 24 between the middle and the end of May. Also
a high level of arrivals and cargoes is expected. in
June.
5. Port capacity at Haiphong should be appre-
ciably increased by current construction and repair
work. The new 700-foot pier at the western end of
the Chamber of Commerce Wharves is approximately 70
percent complete and may be operational by the end
of the summer. Repair work on number five berth is
more than half finished (see the photograph). Re-
pair of berths 1 through 4 probably will follow.
RepavL Wotifz and the Soviet Ship t3nato 2av at
8enth No. 5 o{y the Chambe& o~ Comm Whanve'i
Most of the cargo in this area consisted of sacks
of grain piled under canvas. There were at least
nine of these piles between berths 1 and 3, four of
which were new since 22 May.
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Ship Arrivals
6. Thirty-four Communist ships arrived in
North Vietnam during May and delivered 63 percent
of the record volume of imports. Soviet ships made
20 "calls and delivered 37- percent of seaborne
imports. Seven of the Soviet arrivals were small
tankers that delivered petroleum* and thirteen were
dry cargo ships. Three of the dry cargo ships were
large-hatch freighters from the Black Sea and ten
were smaller freighters, nine from Vladivostok and
one from Cambodia. Seven of the ten Soviet dry
cargo ships that departed North Vietnam in May
carried coal for Japan.
7. There were ten calls by Chinese ships, which
delivered ll percent of seaborne imports. All ten
ships sailed directly from China to North Vietnam --
six arrived at Haiphong and two each at Hon Gai and
Cam Ph'a.** Six of the' 12 Chinese ships that depart-
ed"carried coal for China. One Cuban ship arrived
in May' and delivered a large cargo of sugar to Hai-
phong. There were three Eastern European"arrivals --
two Polish (both belonging to the Chinese-Polish
Shipbr'okers Company) and one Bulgarian -- with car-
goes that included bulk foods, petroleum products,
chemicals, steel, machinery, and vehicles (see the
photograph). Two Polish ships departed North Viet-
nam with small amounts of general cargo for Eastern
and Western Europe and Cuba.
8. Free World ships made 18 calls at North
Vietnam in May, the highest number since January
1966. They delivered 82,100 tons of cargo, a new
record for imports on Free World ships.*** Thirteen
* Four from Vladivostok, two from the Black Sea,
and one from the Baltic Sea. The two tankers from
the Black Sea and the one from the Baltic will prob-
ably be assigned to the Soviet Far East fleet.
** Three of the four arrivals at the coal ports
came in ballast; the fourth delivered an unknown
amount of general cargo. AZZ four loaded coal for
Japan.
*** All the cargoes on Free World ships originated
in China, except for 2,600 tons from Hong Kong and
Japan.
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~7rVitJ11
were British-flag dry cargo ships, 11 from China.
(under Chinese time charter) and two from North
Korea (under North Vietnamese time charter).* The
remaining five Free World arrivals included two
Cypriot freighters with general cargo from Hong
Kong, a Cypriot tanker with petroleum from China.,**
a Singapore freighter with general cargo from
Singapore and Cambodia (see the photograph), and. a
Japanese freighter in ballast to load coal at Can
Ph'a "for Japan.
9. The Japanese freighter was the first Japa-
nese vessel to call at a North Vietnamese port since
March 1965, when the Japanese Seamen's Union and.
the Japanese Shipowners' Association withdrew all
Japanese ships from the North Vietnamese
trade.
As
a result of this withdrawal, all Japanese
with North Vietnam between April 1965 and
trade
March
1968
moved on ships of other Free World and Communist.
countries. Soon after the announcement of a cut.-
back in US bombing at the end of March 1968, Japa-
nese union leaders apparently approved a resumption
of Japanese shipping to North Vietnam. Some small
Japanese shipowners subsequently indicated a will-
ingness to reenter the trade. Until the larger
shipping companies decide to put their Japanese-
flag ships back into the trade, however, it is Lin-
likely that Japanese participation in the trade will
approach the high level of the first quarter of
1965, when an average of 12 Japanese ships a month
called at North Vietnamese ports.
The ships are owned by Hong Kong firms believed
to be under the control of Communist China.
** The tanker Yvonne had its registry withdrawn by
the Greek government when the latter heard of the
ship's intention to sail to North Vietnam. The
Yvonne was unable to find another registry and
arrived in Haiphong flying the Cypriot flag illegal-
Zy. Subsequently, it was given temporary registry
by the government of Cyprus for its May visit to
Haiphong. Since then it has applied for Somali
registry.
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The Potish F/ _ ghtvc NowowLej4Izi En Route
to Nohth Vietnam wk-h- a Deck ck Cargo o6
Tank Ttcuclzs and Tttac totcs
The Singapone-4.2ag Ship Gotden Ocean En
Route to No'tth Vietnam with a Cargo o4
Logs {ytom Cambodia and Gene/La.e Ca tgo
4tcom S-.ngapotce
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Cargoes
10. Seaborne imports reached a new high of
220,900 tons in May (see Table 3) , more than 13
percent above the previous record of 195,900 tons
in January 1968 and 45 percent above the monthly
average for the first four months of 1968. Bulk
food imports of 96,500 tons (including 24,000 tons
of flour from the USSR and 52,000 tons of grain
from China) were more than twice the April volume
and about 40 percent above the previous monthly
high in May 1967. Since the United States announced
a partial bombing pause on 31 March, North Vietnam
has imported foodstuffs at almost twice the 1967
rate, as shown in the following tabulation:
Monthly Average (Thousand Metric Tons)
Prior After
to Bombing Halt Bombing Halt
1st Quarter
1967 1968 Apr-May 1968
Total imports 118.0 152.8
of which:
Bulk food-
stuffs 38.1 46.8
11. In May, 40,300 tons of petroleum were
imported by sea,* less than the record deliveries
in April but almost twice the monthly average in
1967. Nearly 70 percent of the petroleum came from
the USSR and all but 300 tons of the remainder from
Communist China. Imports of miscellaneous and
general cargo increased to 61,000 tons in May, higher
than the monthly averages of 52 , 200 tons in the first
four months of 1968 and 45,700 tons in 1967. Most
* Petroleum imports consisted of 38,400 tons in
bulk and 1,900 tons of packaged products.
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of these cargoes came from Communist China (33 per-
cent) , Eastern Europe (31 percent) , and the USSR
(29 percent). They included steel and other metals,
construction materials and equipment, vehicles,
barges, chemicals, and medicines.* Fertilizer
deliveries of 19,100 tons (7,500 tons from the
USSR, 7,400 tons from North Korea, and 4,200 tons
from China) were more than four times the April
total and the highest since January. This increase
may be related to planting for the tenth-month rice
crop which began in May. Two shipments of timber
totaling 4,000 tons"arrived from Cambodia in May.
Timber deliveries thus far in 1968 (12,100 tons)
are only slightly below the total for all of 1967
(12,800 tons). Timber probably will continue to
arrive at higher-than-normal levels as the North
Vietnamese accelerate construction and repair work.
12. Seaborne exports totaled 76,700 tons in
May, (see Table 4) , 5 percent less than in April but
well above the level of the first four months in
1968 '(56,900 tons). Coal exports decreased from
75 , 700 in April to 70 , 700 tons in May. Coal
exported from Cam Pha fell to 52,800 tons, 18 per-
cent below the volume in April, while coal exports
from Hon Gai rose to 18,000 tons, the highest total
since February and almost twice the monthly average
in 1967.
The commodity composition of 20 percent of the
miscellaneous and general cargoes imported in May
has not been identified.
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North Vietnam: Foreign-Flag Ship Arrivals
January-May 1967 and 1968
January-May 1968
January-May 1967
Total
Total
Flag January
February
March
April
May
Arrivals
Percent
Arrivals
Percent
Total 46
29
43
40
52
210
100.0
198
100.0
Communist countries 36
21
31
27
34
149
71.0
170
85.9
USSR 20
14
20
18
20
92
43.8
99
50.0.
Eastern Europe 3
3
1
3
10
4.8
17
8.6
Bulgaria
1
1
0.5
4
2.0
Poland 3
3
1
2
9
4.3
13
6.6
Communist China 11
7
8
8
10
44
21.0
53
26.8
Cuba 2
1
3
1.4
1
0.5
Free World 10
8
12
13
18
61
29.0
28
14.1
Cyprus 1
1
3 a/
5
2.4
3
Italy
1
0.5
Japan
1
1
0.5
Lebanon
1
0.5
Malta
Singapore
1
1
1
3
1.4
United Kingdom 9
7
10
10
13
49
23.3
23
11.6
Illegal flag
1 a/
1
0.5
a. The tanker Yvonne had its registry withdrawn by the Greek government when the latter heard of
the chin's intention to sail to North Vietnam. The Yvonne was unable to find another registry and
arrived in Haiphong flying the Cypriot flag illegally. Subsequently it was given temporary
registry by the Government of Cyprus for its May visit to Haiphong. Since then it has applied for
Somali registry.
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North Vietnam: Tonnage of Foreign-Flag Ship Arrivals a/
April and May 1968, and January-May 1967 and 1968
April
May
January-May
January-May
Thousand
Thousand
Thousand
Thousand
Gross
Gross
Gross
Gross
Register
Register
Register
Register
Type of Ship and Flag
Arrivals
Tons
Arrivals
Tons
Arrivals
Tons
Arrivals
Tons
Dry cargo
32
156.3
44
219.3
175
869.3
173
857.4
Tanker
8
34.7
8
30.8
35
141.0
25
97.5
Communist countries
27
122.5
34
161.8
149
. 711.9
170
825.2
USSR
18
83.4
20
89.5
92
422.5
99
486.7
Eastern Europe
1
8.9
3
21.5
10
74.4
17
134.0
Communist China
8
30.3
10
41.4
44
186.8
53
195.0
Cuba
1
9.4
3
28.2
1
9.5
Free World
13
68.5
18
88.3
61
298.4
28
129.8
a. The aggregate tonnage of ships calling does not necessarily reflect the actual volume of cargoes
moving into and out of North Vietnam, but is of value as an indicator of relative changes in the
volume of shipping.
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Table 3
North Vietnam: Imports Carried on Foreign-Flag Ships a/
May 1968 and January-May 1967 and 1968
May 1968
January-May
Food-
Ferti-
Petro-
Miscellan-
Flag
stuffs
lizer
leum
Timber
eous b/
Total
1967
1968
Total
96.5
19.1
40.3
4.0
61.0
.220.9
692.8
831.7
Communist countries
55.6
11.7
28.3
2.5
40.7
138.8
589.7
574.5
USSR
25.7
7.5
28.0
2.5
17.4
81.1
360.0
364.1
Eastern Europe
2.6
0.3
19.0
21.9
53.2
70.1
Communist China
16.3
4.2
4.3
24.8
164.3
118.0
Cuba
11.0
11.0
12.2
22.3
Free World
40.9
7.4
12.0
1.5
20.3
82.1
103.1
257.3
c)
a. Imports include some estimates of cargoes., using methods which have proved to be y
highly reliable.
b. Including unidentified cargo of 12,000 tons. The volume of unidentified cargo
will be reduced as additional information becomes available.
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North Vietnam: Exports Carried on Foreign-Flag Ships a/
May 1968 and January-May 1967 and 1968
Thousand Metric Tons
May 1968
January-May
Flag
Coal Miscellaneous
Total
1967
1968
Total
70. 7
5.9
76. 7
370.9
304. Z
Communist countries
60.5
5.8
66.3
335.1
258.9
USSR
25.4
1.9
27.3
178.5
110.6
Eastern Europe
1.2
1.2
44.7
3.7
Communist China
3.5.2
2.7
37.9
111.9
143.6
Cuba
0.9
10.2
0.2
10.4
35.8
45.2
a. Exports include some
have proved to be highly
estimates
reliable.
of cargoes,
using
methods
which
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Secret
Secret
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