Maldives on Wednesday denied a Japanese foreign ministry statement that said a Maldives-flagged vessel was used to illegally transfer goods from a North Korean-flagged tanker in defiance of U. N. Security Council resolutions. The Japanese statement said the « Chon Ma San », designated by the United States as a
Maldives on Wednesday denied a Japanese foreign ministry statement that said a Maldives-flagged vessel was used to illegally transfer goods from a North Korean-flagged tanker in defiance of U. N. Security Council resolutions.
The Japanese statement said the « Chon Ma San », designated by the United States as a sanctions target, was spotted by a surveillance plane with the Maldivian-flagged tanker « Xin Yuan 18 » some 250 km (160 miles) east of Shanghai on Saturday.
It said « Japan strongly suspects that the vessels conducted ship-to-ship transfers » banned by U. N. Security Council resolutions.
Maldives government denied that Xin Yuan 18 is of Maldivian origin and said « no such vessel is registered in the country. »
« We condemn… the use of our national flag in a manner so as to tarnish the good standing and reputation of our nation, » the Maldives government said in a statement.
