A sanctioned North Korean oil tanker was photographed conducting a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer off the coast of Shanghai in mid-January in violation of UN resolutions, according to the latest in a series of reports on such activities from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

Japan concluded that the Chon Ma San (IMO number: 8660313), a vessel designated by the U.S. Treasury and the UN in early 2018, was likely engaging in a STS transfer with another vessel “of unknown nationality.”