"The Wise Honest, one of North Korea’s largest bulk carriers, was used to illicitly ship coal from North Korea and to deliver heavy machinery to the DPRK. Payments for maintenance, equipment, and improvements of the Wise Honest were made in US dollars through unwitting US banks. This conduct violates longstanding US law and United Nations Security Council resolutions," the release said.
The 17,061-ton, single-hull bulk carrier is currently in custody of the United States having been seized pursuant to a warrant, the release noted.
North Korea has been subject to numerous UN sanctions over the past 10 years for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
The sanctions aim at reducing the country's ability to develop its nuclear and missile programs and include a UN Security Council's resolution that bans ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum products to North Korea.
