Ship Seizures

IF repossessing a used Chevrolet can be tricky, consider retrieving the Aztec Express, a 700-foot cargo ship under guard in Haiti as civil unrest spread through the country. Only a few repo men possess the guile and resourcefulness for such a job. One of them is F. Max Hardberger, of Lacombe, La. Since 1991, the 58-year-old attorney and ship captain has surreptitiously sailed away about a dozen freighters from ports around the world.

South Korea asked North Korea to quickly release a fishing boat and its four crew members, hours after the vessel was seized after accidentally crossing the countries' maritime border, an official said today. The incident added to tensions between the countries over the North's nuclear and missile programs, and to the steady deterioration in ties since early last year.

Eighteen people have been charged with trying to smuggle 156 illegal Chinese immigrants into the United States. Assistant U.S. Atty. Alberto Arevalo said the defendants, indicted by a federal grand jury Monday, entered not guilty pleas in U.S. District Court. The ship carrying the immigrants, the Chih Yung, was stopped off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, by the U.S. Coast Guard Aug. 27 and detained offshore until Friday, when it was escorted into the San Diego Naval Station.