South Korea has seized a ship with a Panamanian flag, suspected of supplying oil to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday, citing authorities. This follows the seizure of a Hong Kong-registered ship in November for similar reasons, which South Korea revealed on Friday.
The Panama tanker, named Koti, is being held at a port near the western city of Pyeongtaek. It has a mostly Chinese and Burmese crew, and can carry 5,100 tonnes of oil. Customs officials are investigating the ship.
China on Thursday had refuted reports about its ships violating restrictions imposed by the United Nations on supplying oil to North Korea. A South Korean newspaper had quoted officials who claimed that Chinese and North Korean vessels were collaborating to transport oil to Pyongyang.
On September 12, the United Nations Security Council banned textile exports and imposed curbs on shipments of oil products, in response to a nuclear test by North Korea. The country was condemned globally for conducting its sixth nuclear test since 2006 on September 3. The country claimed it had tested an advanced hydrogen bomb.
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