Suspected China Ship Spotted Next To NKorea Tanker

Japan's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that a Japanese navy surveillance aircraft has spotted a suspected Chinese-flagged ship apparently transferring fuel to a North Korean tanker on the open seas.

A ministry statement said that the two vessels were suspected of engaging in offshore ship-to-ship transfers banned under United Nations Security Council resolutions.

It said Japan has informed the U.N. Security Council of the May 19 sighting of the North Korean-flagged tanker, Ji Song 6, moored alongside the ship carrying a flag believed to be Chinese in open seas in the East China Sea.

Four photos taken by the Maritime Self-Defense Force were released, including two showing the ships alongside each other, connected by a hose. The U.N. has blacklisted the North Korean tanker.

U.N. sanctions on North Korea limit energy trade and ban offshore transfers of goods to North Korean ships as part of international efforts to pressure Pyongyang into giving up its nuclear weapons.

Japan and the US have said the sanctions must be enforced strictly to be effective, and asked China in particular to tighten enforcement. (AP)