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.
