Japan reports UNSC suspected sanctions breach by North Korean Ship

NewsBharati 15-Feb-2018

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Tokyo, February 15: Japan has reported a suspected North Korean violation of UN sanctions. A North Korean tanker was spotted tied up alongside one from Belize at night in the East China Sea which was apparently engaged in transferring cargo.

Japanese patrol plane spotted the cargo and took pictures of it. Japan alleges North Korean and Hong Kong tankers RYE SONG GANG 1 and WAN HENG 11 were involved in the illicit operation of supplying fuel to sanctioned North Korea. Japan, highly concerned about the transfer, informed UN Security Council in this case. The same ship was spotted alongside a Dominica-registered oil tanker in January by Tokyo.

"Following a comprehensive assessment, the Government of Japan strongly suspects that they conducted ship-to-ship transfers banned" by UNSC, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The photos showed the suspected illegal ship-to-ship transfer taking place in the early hours of Feb. 13 about 250 kilometres east of Shanghai.

To prevent North Korea from receiving oil illegally, Japan and the United States are have been patrolling the western Korean Peninsula and the Sea of Japan. The patrolling was started to check for violations of U.N. sanctions on the high seas.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Monday warned other countries which are “blinded” by the charm offensive of North Korea reminding that the main goal is denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Reflecting the same tone, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Unites States president Donald Trump vowed to maintain "maximum pressure" on the North Korean regime.

Japan UNSC North Korean cargo sanctions