China blacklists 31 North Korean ships

(Baonghean.vn) - China's maritime authorities have blacklisted 31 vessels operated by a North Korean company in compliance with United Nations Security Council sanctions this week, according to a Ministry of Transport document, signaling that China is enforcing new restrictions aimed at Pyongyang's banned nuclear program.

A North Korean ship (Illustration photo). Source: Internet.

The notice, dated March 3, said maritime safety authorities must “urgently” determine whether 31 vessels owned by Ocean Maritime Management (OMM) are in Chinese waters or ports, and promptly report back to the Ministry of Transport.

The latest UN sanctions, drafted by the US and China, have blocked the vessels. The Chinese Ministry of Transport said in a statement that Chinese authorities were not allowed to allow the vessels to enter Chinese ports, adding that the measures were part of the “highly sensitive” work of enforcing the UN sanctions.

The ministry did not respond to requests for comment outside of business hours. OMM was also unavailable to the press.

The UN sanctions, unanimously adopted on March 2, punish North Korea for its fourth nuclear test in January, as well as a satellite launch last month that the US and others said was a test of ballistic missile technology.

Independent experts have repeatedly questioned China’s resolve to enforce sanctions against North Korea, whose economy is heavily dependent on China. China has said it will implement the measures “considerately.”

The Philippine Coast Guard has barred one of OMM's 31 vessels, the 6,830-dwt general cargo ship Jin Teng, from leaving port until safety deficiencies are corrected, officials said on March 4.

Chinese authorities this week also limited the number of vessels that can enter North Korea daily via a bridge in the coastal city of Dandong to about 100 from 300 to 400, according to local shopkeepers, a sign that the sanctions are already having an impact.

The recently passed UN sanctions also ban North Korea from exporting coal and iron ore except for “subsistence purposes” and the profits do not go back to fund North Korea’s weapons programs — a “blank slate” of interpretation and continued trade.

It is known that North Korea was one of the countries that China imported the most coal from last year.

Thu Giang

(According to Reuters)