Ship seized for breaking North Korean sanctions

SOUTH KOREAN authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions.

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 North following its nuclear or ballistic missile tests.

The ship, KOTI, was seized at Pyeongtaek-dangjin port on the west coast, south of Incheon.

The KOTI’S estimated time of arrival at the port was Dec 19, according to Vesselfinder, a tracking service provider. The ship can carry 5,100 tons of oil and has a crew mostly from China and Burma.

Russian tankers have supplied fuel to North Korea on at least three occasions in recent months by transferring cargoes at sea, breaching UN sanctions, sources told Reuters.