Australia is sending aircraft to monitor North Korean sanction breaches in the open seas

pulse

April 30, 2018 4:01 AM

North Korea undertakes ship-to-ship transfers in the high seas to avoid sanction breaches being spotted.

Australia will be sending a surveillance aircraft to monitor potential sanction breaches by North Korea.
Sanctions currently prohibit North Korea from importing or exporting particular goods in an attempt to limit cash flow and resources into the country's nuclear weapons program.
But North Korea has undertaken ship-to-ship transfers in the past to avoid sanction breaches being spotted.
The announcement came just a day after the historic inter-Korea summit, indicating the US intent to keep up its "maximum pressure" campaign for now.

Australia is joining US efforts to monitor potential sanction breaches by North Korea.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Saturday that the Australian air force will be sending one of its aircraft to monitor North Korean ships suspected of taking part in illegal ship-to-ship transfers of sanctioned goods. Canada will also be deploying aircraft, and surveillance will be coordinated by the US from the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

"We do have a P-8A surveillance aircraft that is going to be working in the region to monitor compliance with sanctions," Turnbull said.

P-8A is a . It features advanced sensors, high definition cameras, and contains

" he added.

In an attempt to cut funding for Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, UN sanctions ban exports of coal, iron, seafood, and textiles and limit imports of crude oil. But North Korea tries to avoid these sanctions by conducting ship-to-ship transfers

mages released by the US in February of these ships didn't appear to come from satellites, indicating these ships are already under heightened surveillance.

Australia's aircraft will also be joined by patrol aircraft from Canada.

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