Royal Navy frigate tracks illegal fuel transfer during North Korea sanctions enforcement

The Royal Navy recently confirmed that the Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose successfully tracked an illegal fuel transfer at sea while conducting United Nations sanctions enforcement patrols against North Korea the previous month.

Working alongside Japanese partners, Montrose spotted a North Korean ship in the East China Sea alongside another vessel of unknown nationality in the early hours of March 2.

The North Korean-flagged tanker, identified by the name Saebyol, was transmitting on ship tracking systems as a fishing boat.

It was assessed that the ships were carrying out a ship-to-ship transfer of fuel, which is prohibited by United Nations sanctions.

The team on board Montrose gathered photographic evidence of the activity. The information has been reported to the UN.

Montrose is the fourth Royal Navy vessel to take part in enforcing sanctions against North Korea since the start of last year, after HMS Sutherland, HMS Albion, and HMS Argyll deployed in 2018.