UN bars 4 N. Korean ships from international ports

NEW YORK: The United Nations Security Council on Thursday denied international port access to four North Korean ships suspected of carrying or having transported goods banned by international sanctions targeting Pyongyang, diplomats said.

The ban of the four vessels — Ul Ji Bong 6, Rung Ra 2, Sam Jong 2 and Rye Song Gang 1 — brings UN’s total number of blocked ships to eight.

On Oct 5, the UN identified four ships “carrying prohibited goods,” resulting in a ban on port access that was a “first in UN” history, according to Hugh Griffiths, part of a UN panel of experts monitoring the application of sanctions on Pyongyang.

Those four vessels were registered in the Comoros, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Cambodia and North Korea, and were targeted for the illegal transport of coal, iron and North Korean fish.

The United States requested the most recent ban along with measures targeting ships registered in other countries, diplomats said on condition of anonymity.

But China only agreed to target the four ships flying North Korean flags, diplomats said, as part of international efforts to curb Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programmes.

“Only four ships have been accepted” for the ban but “the procedure remains open” to include other vessels in the future, one diplomat said.

The list submitted by the US this month had also included ships flying flags from Belize, China, Hong Kong, Palau and Panama.

Shortly before the council decision, US President Donald Trump — who has often hailed China’s efforts to put pressure on North Korea — sharply criticised Beijing for failing to cut off Pyongyang’s oil supply.

“Caught red-handed — very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea,” Trump said on Twitter.

“There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!”

It was not clear if Trump was referring to the report or US intelligence in his tweet, or if he was accusing China, the North’s main ally, of directly violating sanctions targeting Pyongyang.