US accuses North Korea of breaching UN sanctions on refined petroleum
The UN Security Council capped refined petroleum product exports to North Korea at 500,000 barrels a year in December
The United States accused North Korea on Thursday of breaching a UN sanctions cap on refined petroleum by making illicit transfers between ships at sea, according to a document Washington submitted to Security Council members.
“Our information suggests that between January 1 and May 30 of 2018, DPRK (North Korean) tankers have called in port in the DPRK at least 89 times likely to deliver refined petroleum products illicitly procured via STS (ship-to-ship) transfers,” the United States told the UN Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee.
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The United States did not say which countries it believed were illicitly providing North Korea with refined petroleum.
In December the 15-member Security Council capped refined petroleum product exports to North Korea at 500,000 barrels a year. The US accusation of a sanctions breach comes as Washington engages with North Korea in a bid to negotiate denuclearising the Asian country.
According to the website of the Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee, only Russia and China have reported legitimate sales of some 14,000 tons of refined petroleum to North Korea in 2018.