How China let a ship banned for ferrying North Korean coal go rogue, states a Washington Post news source.
A zombie ship that came back to life
The case of the Petrel 8, a zombie ship that came back to life, shows that the sanction regime on Pyongyang is full of holes.
The case of the Petrel 8, a zombie ship that came back to life, shows that the sanction regime on Pyongyang is full of holes. ArrowRight With the help of Chinese courts, the Petrel 8 would not only survive its near-shipwreck, but be resold, repaired and returned to open waters in breach of sanctions.
China has increasingly turned a blind eye
United Nations reports show that China has increasingly turned a blind eye to illicit North Korean activity, but the Petrel 8 is a rare, detailed example of exactly how that happens. Ships like these provide a vital lifeline for Pyongyang’s isolated regime, illicitly ferrying coal to foreign ports and often returning with goods and supplies the regime seeks.
China was among the 15 U.N. Security Council members that voted unanimously in 2016 and 2017 to impose a comprehensive set of sanctions aimed at curtailing North Korea’s nuclear program. The resolutions included a global port ban on ships that have been caught transporting North Korean coal, a major source of revenue for Pyongyang’s nuclear activities. Once a ship is sanctioned, the only way to get it off the banned list is by consensus of the U.N. 1718 Committee, which oversees North Korean sanctions.
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Source: Washington Post
