The Japanese government on Tuesday published photos dated May 19 of what it says likely shows a sanctioned North Korean vessel engaging in prohibited ship-to-ship (STS) transfers in the East China Sea.

Images, taken from a Japanese Maritime Defense Force P-3C aircraft, show a North Korean oil tanker alongside a smaller vessel with pumps or hosing connecting the two, which would be typical of STS transfers involving fuel products.

“At midnight on May 19, 2018, a P-3C aircraft of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Fleet Air Wing 1 P-3C : Kanoya) found that JI SONG 6 (IMO number: 8898740), North Korean-flagged tanker,