Associated Press The Justice Department announced on Thursday it has seized a major cargo vessel belonging to North Korea known as the “Wise Honest,” which officials allege violated U.S. and United Nations sanctions by illicitly shipping coal from North Korea. May 9 (Reuters) - In an unusual civil forfeiture action, the Justice Department announced on Thursday it has seized a major cargo vessel belonging to North Korea known as the “Wise Honest,” which officials allege violated U.S. and United Nations sanctions by illicitly shipping coal from North Korea. The 17,061-ton ship, which also was used to deliver heavy machinery to North Korea, is one of the country’s largest bulk carriers, the Justice Department said. The case marks the first time the United States has seized a North Korean cargo vessel for violating sanctions. According to U.N. sanctions monitors, the Wise Honest was transporting 25,500 tons of coal when it was detained by Indonesia in April 2018.

Source: Huffington Post May 09, 2019 16:52 UTC