US Seizes Oil Tanker for Violating Sanctions on North Korea

The U.S. government seized an oil tanker for delivering petroleum products to North Korea in violation of U.S. sanctions and charged a Singaporean national with conspiracy to evade sanctions, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said in an April 23 news release. Kwek Kee Seng of Singapore and the ship, the M/T Courageous, allegedly brought oil to North Korea via ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean ships and direct shipments to the North Korean port of Nampo. The transfers allegedly took place August-December 2019 when the ship stopped transmitting its location. DOJ said satellite imagery revealed the Courageous engaging in the ship-to-ship transfers of more than $1.5 million worth of oil to an OFAC-designated North Korean ship.