On Tuesday, Voice of America (VOA) reported that a North Korean tanker, which is subject to international sanctions, recently entered a Russian port.
According to the ship tracking website MarineTraffic, the North Korean tanker CHON MA SAN arrived at the port of Vostochny in Russia’s Far East early on Sunday and stayed until the following night. The ship was confirmed to be located approximately 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) offshore from the oil loading dock at Vostochny Port, suggesting it sailed there for oil loading.
The CHON MA SAN is one of 27 vessels sanctioned by the UN Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee in 2018 for illegal ship-to-ship transfers. These sanctions include a ban on entry to international ports. Russia’s decision to allow the tanker to dock directly violates these measures.
Furthermore, considering a recent announcement from the U.S. White House last May, Russia has already surpassed the annual refined oil supply limit set by the UN Security Council to North Korea. If CHON MA SAN did indeed transport oil from a Russian port, it would mark another apparent breach of sanctions.
The UN Security Council imposed a 500,000-barrel annual limit on North Korea’s refined oil imports in 2017. However, Russia has not been transparent in reporting the amounts of oil it has supplied to North Korea, further complicating international efforts to enforce these sanctions.
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