The Russian freighter ‘Sevastopol’, is stranded in the South Korean port of Busan for over a month. The ships has been blacklisted by the US, as its owner has allegedly violated the sanctions. According to reports, local oil companies are reluctant to supply the ship with fuel.
According to local reports, a ministry official said that the Russian-flagged vessel did not re-enter the South Korean port but it has yet to leave the port for its own reasons.
On September, the South Korean government suspended the Russian ship’s departure from the port for an investigation regarding the UN sanctions against North Korea and if the vessel had violated any of them.
The US Treasury imposed sanctions on the ship for its alleged involvement in the transfer of refined petroleum products to North Korean vessels in August, which prompted Seoul to launch the investigation.
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On October, the Korean government allowed the Russian ship to leave the port, after the inquiry found no evidence of UN sanctions violations by the ship. But as the company’s vice president explained at local news, the fuel providers are worried that they will be hit with a secondary boycott for assisting an individual or a company that has done illicit business with North Korea.
Furthermore, the vice president said the company would attempt to find other sources of fuel, perhaps from smaller oil companies.
On February, the US government announced the largest set of sanctions ever imposed in connection with North Korea, targeting shipping companies, vessels, and individuals across the world accused of illicit trading with the country, as the US has been pressuring North Korea via sanctions to suspend its nuclear weapons program.
