UN panel finds illicit oil deliveries to North Korea continue via ship-to-ship transfers

A UN Panel of Experts report says illicit refined petroleum deliveries to North Korea fell sharply in 2021 but evasion networks remain active, Global Trade Review reports. Satellite images submitted by ten UN member states purported to show 18 deliveries to North Korean ports, equal to about 323,000 barrels, or 526,000 including vessels waiting to unload, against a UN cap of 500,000 barrels a year. The panel described ship-to-ship transfers in which the Sky Venus and Sunward, linked to Taiwan's Cheng Chiun Shipping Agency, allegedly loaded oil in Taichung and passed it to North Korean ships. It recommended AIS screening clauses in letters of credit.

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