To: Maurice Winn who wrote (137648 ) 12/30/2017 9:45:55 PM From: TobagoJack Respond to it must be a simple matter to discover the shareholders and directors of the companies involved, as the KYC papering in HK is very strict, and in Marshall Islands strict enough.https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/south-korea-oil-tankers-seizure-seoul-shows-its-displeasure-china South Korea: With Oil Tanker's Seizure, Seoul Shows Its Displeasure With China Relations between Seoul and Beijing continue to erode. South Korea revealed Dec. 29 that last month it had seized a Hong Kong-flagged tanker involved in an at-sea transfer of refined petroleum products to a North Korean vessel, a violation of sanctions against North Korea under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2375. The announcement comes as the United Nations is considering a list of 10 ships to sanction for illicit trade with North Korea, and follows the U.S. Treasury Department's release of images of Chinese vessels transferring petroleum products to North Korean ships at sea in violation of U.N. sanctions . The incident will strengthen U.S. criticism of China's support for North Korea.The Lighthouse Winmore , an oil tanker owned by Hong Kong-based Lighthouse Ship Management Ltd. chartered by the Marshall Islands-incorporated Taiwanese company Billions Bunker Group Corp., visited the South Korean port of Yeosu take on a load of refined petroleum from Japan the ship instead sailed into the East China Sea, where around Oct. 19 it transferred some 600 tons of the refined petroleum to the North Korean ship Sam Jong 2; it also transferred petroleum to three other ships not from North Korea Information is sparse on the two private companies involved political pressure toward China . This may also spur discussion of additional secondary sanctions against Chinese companies and banks.For South Korea, it is noteworthy that, although the ship was impounded in late November, the information wasn't revealed until more than a month later. This may have been a diplomatic gesture, as South Korean President Moon Jae In visited China Dec. 13-16 in an attempt to ease tensions between the two countries and spur economic and tourist exchanges. But Moon's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping did not go well, and shortly after his visit, on Dec. 18, the South Korean military scrambled aircraft to intercept a Chinese flight comprising two H-6 bombers and a Tu-154 reconnaissance plane escorted by two J-11 fighters that flew over the disputed Ieodo-Suyan Rock. While such flights are not uncommon, the timing was a clear signal of China's continued displeasure with the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in South Korea and Seoul's refusal to commit to further demands from China on regional security issues. Announcing the seizure of the Lighthouse Winmore now will reinforce the likelihood the ship will be included on the list of sanctions violators, a subtle way for South Korea to show its displeasure with China. But it may also mean that the economic tensions between the two will continue, and China may not lift official or unofficial restrictions on tourists to South Korea, something Seoul was counting on to bolster its February hosting of the Winter Olympics.
