WEB DESK
A UN Security Council panel has asked the world’s major oil companies to help enforce sanctions that restrict oil exports to North Korea.
The panel of experts sent letters to 24 companies on May 10th, asking them to report within a month what they’ve done, and what more they plan to do, to implement the sanctions.
A UN Security Council resolution, adopted last year, put a cap on exports of crude oil, gasoline, and other refined oil products to the North.
The panel is asking the oil companies not to deal with shipping firms whose vessels switch off Automatic Identification Systems.
It also wants shipping contracts to stipulate that insurers will invalidate a policy, if a ship’s Automatic Identification System is turned off.
The measures are aimed at preventing North Korean vessels from receiving oil through secret ship-to-ship transfers.