NK News on 27th February reported that the Japanese government had published further evidence of North Korean vessels engaged in ship-to-ship (STS) transfers on the high seas, a practice prohibited by UN Security Council sanctions. The posts on multiple government websites include photographs of the STS transfer taking place on the morning of February 24th between a North Korean ship and a vessel flying a Maldives flag. The Chon Man San – the North Korean oil tanker photographed by Japan – was one of the vessels designated on February 23rd, as was its registered DPRK owner, Korea Achim Shipping Co. The other ship involved – the Xin Yuan 18 – is also an oil tanker. While flying the flag of the Maldives, it is owned by a Hong Kong company called Ha Fa Trade International.
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