SOUTH KOREA SEIZES SECOND SHIP SUSPECTED OF PROVIDING OIL TO NORTH KOREA
South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected
of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international
sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday.
The seizure was the second to be revealed by South Korea within a few
days, as the United Nations steps up efforts to squeeze essential oil supplies
to the reclusive North following its nuclear or ballistic missile tests.
The ship, KOTI, was seized at Pyeongtaek-Dangjin port, the official
told Reuters, without elaborating, due to the sensitivity of the issue. The
port is on the west coast, south of Incheon.
A marine official also confirmed the seizure, which he said was done
“recently”.
The KOTI’s estimated time of arrival at the port was Dec. 19, according
to VesselFinder Ltd., a tracking service provider,
The ship can carry 5,100 tonnes of oil and has a crew mostly from China
and Myanmar, Yonhap News Agency reported, adding that South Korea’s
intelligence and customs officials are conducting a joint probe into the
vessel.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed the probe, declining to provide
details.
“The government has been in close consultations with related countries
and ministries to thoroughly implement the sanctions by the U.N. Security
Council,” the spokesman said.
PROPOSED BLACKLISTING
On Friday, South Korea said that in late November it seized the Hong
Kong-flagged Lighthouse Winmore, which is suspected of transferring as much as
600 tons of oil to the North Korea-flagged Sam Jong 2.
The U.N. Security Council last month unanimously imposed new sanctions
on North Korea for a recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, seeking to
limit its access to refined petroleum products and crude oil.
The United States has also proposed that the United Nations Security
Council blacklist 10 ships for transporting banned items from North Korea,
according to documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
The Lighthouse Winmore is one of the 10 ships proposed to be
blacklisted. The KOTI does not seem to be included on the list.
On Thursday, China blocked a U.S. effort at the United Nations to
blacklist six foreign-flagged ships, a U.N. Security Council diplomat said.
China’s Foreign Ministry, responding to a question from Reuters on the
blocking, said Beijing always fully and strictly implemented Security Council
resolutions.
“At the same time, any measures taken by the Security Council must have
a basis in conclusive and actual proof. China will continue to participate in
the work of the relevant Security Council sanctions committee on this
principle,” it said in a short statement, without elaborating.
China also denied reports it had been illicitly selling oil products to
North Korea in defiance of U.N. sanctions, after U.S. President Donald Trump
said he was unhappy that China had allowed oil to reach the isolated nation.
Russian tankers have supplied fuel to North Korea on at least three
occasions in recent months by transferring cargoes at sea, breaching U.N.
sanctions, sources told Reuters.
News source : Reuters
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