Washington — The US has deployed aircraft and surface vessels to "detect and disrupt" illicit ship-to-ship transfers to North Korean tankers in the East China Sea, Heather Nauert, a State Department spokeswoman, said.
In a statement Saturday, Nauert said the US was working with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France and the UK on a coordinated effort aimed at stopping these transfers, which are prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions.
Nauert said the US was working with these countries to make sure these resolutions are "implemented fully and effectively."
In August, the US Treasury Department sanctioned two Russia-based shipping companies and six vessels for involvement in banned ship-to-ship oil product transfers to North Korea.
Earlier this year, the US unveiled sanctions aimed at the illegal trade of petroleum products, coal and other goods with North Korea. In February, President Donald Trump said the sanctions were the heaviest ever imposed on a country. The sanctions were aimed at preventing North Korea and others from evading international prohibitions on trade through various methods, including ship-to-ship transfers outside of ports.
North Korea operates a fleet of 24 tankers capable of engaging in ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum products and other banned goods, according to the Treasury.
The UN Security Council last September agreed to ban all condensate and natural gas liquids supplied to North Korea and limit exports of refined products to a total of 500,000 barrels from October 1 to December 31, 2017, and to 2 million barrels for all of 2018. The resolution also barred UN members from exporting more crude to North Korea than they exported over the previous 12 months.
