Posted on 12/29/2017 12:52:15 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
(2nd LD) S. Korea seizes HK vessel over ship-to-ship oil transfer to N. Korea
SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Yonhap) -- A Hong Kong-flagged vessel has been seized and inspected by South Korean authorities after secretly transferring oil to a North Korean vessel in international waters in a ship-to-ship transfer prohibited by the United Nations Security Council, government officials said Friday.
South Korean customs authorities took and searched the vessel, Lighthouse Winmore, when it entered the country's Yeosu Port on Nov. 24 after transferring 600 tons of refined petroleum to a North Korean vessel on Oct. 19, the officials said.
UNSC Resolution 2375, adopted in September, bans member countries from ship-to-ship transfer of any goods for North Korea. Resolution 2397, adopted just a week earlier allows a country to capture and look into a vessel suspected of engaging in prohibited activities with North Korea.
The Hong Kong-flagged ship was chartered by Taiwanese company Billions Bunker Group and previously visited South Korea's Yeosu Port on Oct. 11 to load up on Japanese refined petroleum and head to its claimed destination in Taiwan four days later, the authorities noted.
Instead of going to Taiwan, however, the vessel transferred the oil to a North Korean ship, the Sam Jong 2, and three other non-North Korean vessels in international waters in the East China Sea, they said.
"The actions taken will be reported to the UNSC sanctions committee on North Korea in the future," according to the authorities. "This marks a typical case of North Korea shrewdly circumventing UNSC sanctions by using its illegal networks."
The officials said South Korea has shared intelligence with the U.S. for the detection of the illegal transaction.
In their search of the seized vessel, South Korean authorities secured navigation logs and testimony from the crew that the oil transaction was ordered by the Taiwanese group through the vessel's caption. But motive of the transaction with North Korea is not known, the officials noted.
South Korea will be keeping the Hong Kong-flagged vessel for about six months, during which time Hong Kong is expected to file a request for the ship's release with the UNSC's sanctions committee on North Korea.
The U.S. has reportedly called on the UNSC to blacklist 10 ships for engaging in proscribed trade with North Korea although China and Russia are opposed to that. Lighthouse Winmore was reportedly one of the 10 targeted ships. The Security Council sanctions committee will make a decision on the request on Friday (New York time), according to the officials.
P!
Big balls. Someone feels like we have their back
Next time send them a tanker of sewage.
Well that is interesting.
Taiwan.
According to a news report, some Chinese are now using small fishing boats to go directly to N. Korean ports and load their catches, bringing them to waiting freighters in international waters. Direct ship-to-ship handover between Chinese and N. Korean ships in international waters can be caught, so they are using a new trick.
I didn’t know that. Thanks. I will go read some more. I am sure with just a little more appeasement they too will get peace in their time if they arent careful.
That might heat things up a bit.
Isn't the sale of fertilizer also covered by the sanctions?
Isn't the sale of fertilizer also covered by the sanctions?
Taiwan.
Almost certainly the Taiwanese govt. (at least at the top) does not approve. But there are always plenty of crooks.
They should have done more than seize it.
Our US Embassy there in Seoul knows ALL ABOUT the communist-boot licking weaklings currently in power in South Korea under President Moon. They won’t get away with much, though they think they will. They have another think coming.
Why didn’t we just sink them, why have subs if you won’t use them?
Thanks TigerLikesRooster.
p
Notice it wasn’t Communist China, but Taiwan! That is how we get thanked for our support and protection of their country. If we kicked them to the curb, the Chicoms would take it over in 30 minutes, but I guess that’s not a big deal to them.
I agree.
I lived in Taiwan for two years. That was quite a while ago but it probably hasn’t changed hugely in the time since.
I was surprized to read that it was Taiwan though.
Expected that to read the PRC. Not so...
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