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South Korea seizes 6,500-dwt HK tanker delivering to North Korean ship
SOUTH Korean Customs seized a Hong Kong-flagged product tanker last month after it secretly transferred oil to a North Korean vessel in international waters, said officials.
The officials said the 16,500-dwt Lighthouse Winmore was inspected when it entered the South Korean port of Yeosu on November 24, after transferring 600 tonnes of refined oil to a North Korean vessel on October 19, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The ship's 25 crew members - 23 Chinese nationals and two from Myanmar - were being held at Yeosu but would be allowed to leave South Korea after the authorities finished questioning them, the official said.
"China has launched an investigation following reports that a Chinese ship transferred oil to a North Korean ship in international waters on October 19," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
"The ship has not stopped at a Chinese port since August, and there is no record of it leaving or entering a Chinese port. We are not aware if the ship has visited ports operated by other nations."
Ms Hua said Beijing had fully implemented United Nations resolutions and China would not allow companies or individuals to violate the sanctions.
The South Korean official said the Hong Kong-flagged tanker was chartered by Taiwanese company Billions Bunker Group and docked in Yeosu on October 11 to load up on Japanese refined oil before heading towards its purported destination in Taiwan.
But instead of going to Taiwan, the tanker transferred the oil to North Korea's Sam Jong 2 and three other non-North Korean vessels in international waters, the official said.
US President Donald Trump said China has been "caught red handed" in shipping oil to North Korea, and was "very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea".
The US presented spy satellite photos that appear to show Chinese oil being loaded onto North Korean tankers in the Yellow Sea. The US says these spy satellite images taken in October showed a North Korean vessel trying to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer.
The officials said the 16,500-dwt Lighthouse Winmore was inspected when it entered the South Korean port of Yeosu on November 24, after transferring 600 tonnes of refined oil to a North Korean vessel on October 19, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The ship's 25 crew members - 23 Chinese nationals and two from Myanmar - were being held at Yeosu but would be allowed to leave South Korea after the authorities finished questioning them, the official said.
"China has launched an investigation following reports that a Chinese ship transferred oil to a North Korean ship in international waters on October 19," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
"The ship has not stopped at a Chinese port since August, and there is no record of it leaving or entering a Chinese port. We are not aware if the ship has visited ports operated by other nations."
Ms Hua said Beijing had fully implemented United Nations resolutions and China would not allow companies or individuals to violate the sanctions.
The South Korean official said the Hong Kong-flagged tanker was chartered by Taiwanese company Billions Bunker Group and docked in Yeosu on October 11 to load up on Japanese refined oil before heading towards its purported destination in Taiwan.
But instead of going to Taiwan, the tanker transferred the oil to North Korea's Sam Jong 2 and three other non-North Korean vessels in international waters, the official said.
US President Donald Trump said China has been "caught red handed" in shipping oil to North Korea, and was "very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea".
The US presented spy satellite photos that appear to show Chinese oil being loaded onto North Korean tankers in the Yellow Sea. The US says these spy satellite images taken in October showed a North Korean vessel trying to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer.
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