Washington DC [USA], July 2: The United Nations (UN) sanction committee on Tuesday permitted South Korea to release two detained vessels, reportedly detained for the illegal ship-to-ship petroleum products transfer to North Korea.
According to ANI news reports, in an official statement, the South Korean foreign ministry said the UN has approved the release of the South Korean P-Pioneer and Hong Kong’s Lighthouse Winmore.
The P-Pioneer was detained on September 4, 2018, in Busan port and the Hong Kong ship had been seized in the southern Yeosu province on November 24, 2017.
The development took under conditions that the South Korean vessel, Winmore, will no longer engage in illegal petroleum ship-to-ship transfer ever in the near future.
Moreover, the Hong Kong operator of the vessel has agreed to keep on its tracking system all times and is slated is to submit a shipping course log at South Korea’s request.
Two other vessels, Talent Ace and Koti, are said to be under review. The government is wanting to demolish them, according to the sources familiar with the issues were quoted as saying.
Arrested over the suspicion of illegally transferring petroleum products to Pyongyang, the Koti has been grounded in December 2017 in Pyeongtaek, and stateless Talent Ace has been detained since January 2018 in Gunsan.
The UN sanction committee has adopted more sanctions resolutions – Resolution 2397- on Pyongyang in 2017 following North Korea’s launch of intercontinental nuclear ballistic missiles in November 2017.
The Resolution 2397 permits a nation to seize and probe a vessel if found suspected of engaging in any illegal activities with Pyongyang, and also imposes a blanket ban over the overseas sales of N Korean iron ore, coal, etc.