A British warship is helping conduct surveillance designed to enforce UN sanctions on North Korea.
Amid moves to deepen its security ties with Japan, the United Kingdom has tasked some of its military assets with monitoring compliance with international sanctions against North Korea. Sanctions enforcement is a key priority for the Japanese government, which in recent times has repeatedly accused the North Korean regime of benefiting from illicit ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other goods.
HMS Albion, an amphibious assault ship, is the second Royal Navy ship to be deployed to the region this year, with a third due later this year. HMS Albion was based in the Japanese port of Yokosuka for maintenance and a leave period in July, and will remain “in the Japanese area” at least until the end of August, according to a press briefing by officials at the British Embassy in Tokyo. This may include some joint exercises with Japan.
“HMS Albion ’s deployment is part of a greater presence by the Royal Navy in this part of the world this year,” said the British Ambassador to Japan Paul Madden. He confirmed HMS Albion had already conducted surveillance operations as part of the international enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea. Madden characterized the visits to the region as “a visible demonstration of the U. K.’s commitment” to enforcing the sanctions.
British officials are tight-lipped about the specific findings but say the mission has been “very successful.” Royal Navy Captain Paul Casson, who is the defense attaché at the British Embassy in Tokyo, told reporters: “What I will say is that Albion ’s conduct during her surveillance activity, the same as HMS Sutherland ’s conduct earlier in the year, has proven to be very valuable indeed to the United Nations command.”
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Japan Coast Guard have been at the forefront of international monitoring operations to date. Just last week, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released photographs of what it believed to be a banned ship-to-ship transfer.
