Russian Tankers Have Supplied Fuel to North Korea by Sea

Two Western European security sources say that Russian tankers have supplied fuel to North Korea by sea at least three times in recent months. Selling oil or petroleum products from Russia, the world's second-largest oil exporter and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, constitutes a violation of UN sanctions. Reuters reported on Friday, December 29, in an exclusive report, that following a report published by the agency in September indicating that North Korean ships were loading fuel directly from Russia, the transfer of fuel shipments that occurred in October and November shows that fuel smuggling from Russia to North Korea has shifted to maritime deliveries. One Western European security source, who wished to remain anonymous, told Reuters that 'Russian ships have delivered petrochemical shipments to North Korea on several occasions this year in violation of sanctions.' The second source confirmed this news, stating that there is no evidence that the Russian government was involved in these transfers. He stated: 'There is no evidence that the Russian government supported such actions, but Russian ships provide a lifeline to North Korea.' The two mentioned sources indicated that this information was obtained through satellite imagery and data on ship movements from the farthest ports in eastern Russia in the Pacific Ocean, but they declined to provide further details to Reuters due to the classified nature of the information. The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Customs Service declined to comment on this news on Wednesday. One of the owners of the ship transferring fuel to North Korea denied such a report. This report comes as China on Friday denied any illegal delivery of petroleum products to North Korea in response to criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump. North Korea relies on fuel imports from abroad to keep its economy running. Pyongyang also needs fuel for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which the U.S. claims pose a threat to peace in Asia. The mentioned sources say that the Russian tanker 'Vityaz,' which sails under the Russian flag, was one of the vessels that delivered fuel to North Korean ships. According to control documents from the Slavyanka port near Vladivostok, Russia, this tanker left the mentioned port on October 15 with 16,000 tons of oil. Documents provided to Slavyanka port authorities indicate that this ship was heading to Japanese waters under the guise of fishing activity. Maritime information shows that this ship turned off its communication devices for several days and moved towards open waters. According to European security sources, the Vityaz tanker delivered fuel to the North Korean-flagged tanker 'Sam Ma 2' in open waters in October. The report indicates that, based on maritime information, Russian-flagged tankers have made similar trips in November and October, moving towards open waters after leaving the Slavyanka and Nakhodka ports and then turning off their communication devices there. Reuters adds that, based on documents seen in December, the United States has proposed to the UN Security Council to blacklist 10 ships for transferring prohibited goods from North Korea.