The controversial North Korean ferry Mangyongbong-92 called again at Niigata Tuesday morning.
The 9,672-ton ship was carrying about 50 tons of goods and 206 passengers from the North Korean port of Wonsan, from where it departed Sunday afternoon, according to its agent. It plans to leave for Wonsan at around 4 p.m. Wednesday with 220 passengers and 80 tons of cargo.
On Sept. 17, the Japan Coast Guard turned over to prosecutors its case against the ferry's skipper, Jang Chang Yong, 56, alleging that the ship carried too many passengers earlier that month.
But on Oct. 16, when the ship last called at Niigata for a one-day stop, prosecutors waived the indictment after determining that the captain had not deliberately overloaded the vessel.