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United Nations Security Council News

03 Jan 2024

Dominguez Raises Concern for Seafarers at UN Security Council

Source: IMO

Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the IMO, addressed the United Nations Security Council at its 9,525th meeting reiterating his condemnation of the attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea.“Attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area are not acceptable,” he said. “Ships must be allowed to trade worldwide unhindered and in accordance with international law.”Since the beginning of November, a number of attacks have been launched against international vessels navigating in the Red Sea which hosts around 15% of international shipping trade.

12 Dec 2023

US Issues Sweeping Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Ukraine War

© Alexey Bakharev / Adobe Stock

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and entities, including in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as it targets Russia's sanctions evasion, future energy capabilities, banks and its metals and mining sector.The U.S. Treasury and State departments targeted more than 250 individuals and entities in Washington's latest action attempting to crack down on Russia and its evasion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over the war in…

28 Jun 2023

Concerns Over Anti-Piracy Efforts Raised at UN Security Council

Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs - Department of Peace Operations, while speaking to the United Nations Security Council meeting on June 22.

While piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has been declining since 2021, concerns have been raised about staffing, equipment and finance needed to continue anti-piracy efforts in the region.There are several challenges holding back the full operationalization of the Yaoundé Architecture, said Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs - Department of Peace Operations at the United Nations, while speaking to the United Nations Security Council meeting on June 22.

14 Jul 2022

Libya's Oil Chief Rejects Sacking, Says Govt Mandate Expired

NOC chief Mustafa Sanalla - Credit: NOC (file image)

The head of Libya's National Oil Corp (NOC) on Wednesday rejected the prime minister's authority to sack him, raising the prospect of an open struggle for control of the state energy producer.In a furious televised speech, Mustafa Sanalla said Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah's mandate to govern had expired and warned him not to touch NOC.An armed force deployed outside the NOC building later in the day, three witnesses said. One of them said the force was aligned with Dbeibah.

05 Oct 2021

Winson Denies UN Accusation it Supplied Oil to North Korea

© Nightman1965 / Adobe Stock

Singapore-based oil trader Winson Group denied on Tuesday a U.N. Security Council report alleging that it supplied fuel to North Korea in breach of international sanctions."Winson denies, in the strongest possible terms, any and all allegations and/or insinuations that it knowingly facilitated the illicit supply of oil to North Korea in breach of any United Nations Security Council resolutions, and/or that it is a 'key node' in North Korea's procurement of oil or refined petroleum products…

09 Aug 2021

Iran Denies Role in Tanker Attack, Says Seeks Gulf Security

Iran on Saturday rejected as psychological warfare accusations that it was behind a deadly attack on a tanker off Oman's coast, and said Tehran sought to enhance the security of the strategic Gulf waterway.Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy economies said on Friday Iran was threatening international peace and security and that all available evidence showed it was behind the attack on the Mercer Street tanker last week."If we were to confront enemies...we would declare it openly, so the recent storytelling by the enemies is a psychological operation," state media quoted Abolfazl Shekarchi, Iran's senior armed forces spokesman…

05 Aug 2021

UN Security Council to Discuss Deadly Tanker Attack

Britain will raise a deadly tanker attack off the coast of Oman during a closed-door United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday, diplomats said, but the 15-member body is not expected to take any action.Britain told the Security Council on Tuesday it was "highly likely" that Iran used one or more drones to carry out the tanker attack last week, which killed two crew members - a Briton and a Romanian."There's a lot of conflicting information. A 'highly likely' analysis, which we totally reject. We need to establish facts ... we don't need to rush to any conclusions or actions without having proof of what has happened," deputy Russian U.N.

06 Jul 2021

Egypt Opens Naval Base Near Border with Libya

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated a large naval base on Saturday 135 km from the border with Libya, flanked by close ally Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Libya's unity president,Egypt says the July 3 base will help it protect strategic and economic interests as well as helping guard against irregular migration as it boosts its naval presence on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.At the inauguration, two Mistral helicopter carriers…

09 Dec 2020

U.S. Blacklists Companies, Ships Linked to North Korean Coal Exports

The United States has blacklisted six companies, including several based in China, and four ships accused of illicit exports of North Korean coal, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday.The United Nations Security Council banned North Korean coal exports in 2017. The 15-member body has unanimously boosted sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs."The DPRK (North Korea) continues to circumvent the U.N. prohibition on the exportation of coal, a key revenue generator that helps fund its weapons of mass destruction programs," U.S. Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement."The North Korean regime often uses forced labor from prison camps in its mining industries…

23 Sep 2020

US Coast Guard Cutter Docks in Japan After Shipboard Fire

Firefighting teams combat flames on board the Coast Guard cutter Waesche in the Western Pacific Ocean. (Coast Guard photo by Aidan Cooney)

A fire-stricken U.S. Coast Guard cutter docked in Yokosuka, Japan Tuesday for inspection and possible repairs days after an onboard blaze left five crew members with minor injuries.Black smoke was reported on the cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) at 5:18 p.m. (local time) on Sunday while the ship was on deployed within the U.S. 7th Fleet's area of operations, the Coast Guard said.Onboard crews were able to contain the flames in the ship' exhaust stack and nearby spaces, and all fires…

21 Nov 2019

CG Cutter Stratton Returns After 162 Days

Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jasmine Mieszala 
U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area

The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) is scheduled to return Friday to their home port of Alameda following a 162-day deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean.In the Western Pacific, the crew patrolled and conducted operations as directed, including enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea by monitoring and gathering intelligence on vessels conducting ship-to-ship transfers in the East China…

06 Aug 2019

China Mulls Hormuz Naval Escort Role

File Image: A Chinese Naval Frigate underway. CREDIT: AdobeStock / © Vanderwolf

China might escort Chinese commercial vessels in Gulf waters under a U.S. proposal for a maritime coalition to secure oil shipping lanes following attacks on tankers, its envoy to the United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday."If there happens to be a very unsafe situation we will consider having our navy escort our commercial vessels," Ambassador Ni Jian told Reuters in Abu Dhabi."We are studying the U.S. proposal on Gulf escort arrangements," China's embassy later said in a text…

25 Jun 2019

New Iranian Sanctions Target Leadership

© Yasar/Adobe Stock

Yesterday U.S. President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order enhancing economic sanctions on Iran, targeting the country's leadership. The executive order, in its entirety, follows:By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,I, DONALD J.

13 Jun 2019

U.S. to Discuss Tanker Attacks in U.N. Security Council

The United States plans to raise the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman during a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council later on Thursday, diplomats said."It's unacceptable for any party to attack commercial shipping and today's attacks on ships in the Gulf of Oman raise very serious concerns," acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Jonathan Cohen told a council meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States."The U.S. government is providing assistance and will continue to assess the situation," he said. (Reuters, Reporting by Michelle Nichols Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

29 Jun 2018

Oil Tight on Libyan Port Struggles

Image:  © cherezoff/Adobe Stock

Libyan oil production could face protracted disruption as factions in the east seek to seize control of crude exports, adding pressure to a tight global market. Eastern factions have tried to take over oil exports in the past but have struggled to find buyers because Western nations insist they will deal only with the internationally recognised National Oil Corporation (NOC) based in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. But this has not stopped eastern forces from seeking control of the ports, accusing Libya's western-based government of failing to share revenues fairly.

29 Jun 2018

Struggle to Control Libyan Oil Ports Adds to Global Supply Worries

Libyan oil production could face protracted disruption as factions in the east have sought to seize control of crude exports, adding pressure to a tight global market.Eastern factions have tried to take over oil exports in the past yet struggled to find buyers as Western nations insist they will only deal with the internationally recognised National Oil Corporation (NOC) based in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.But this has not stopped eastern forces from seeking control of the ports, accusing Libya's western-based government of failing to share revenues fairly.The latest tussle for power has already slashed national production to about 600…

25 May 2018

U.S. Alarmed by Strike on Turkish Ship Delivering Wheat to Yemen

The United States said on Friday it was concerned about a Houthi missile strike on a Turkish vessel carrying wheat to Yemen this month and another attack on an oil tanker in the Red Sea. "The United States is alarmed by the Houthi missile strike against a Turkish cargo ship 70 miles off the coast of Yemen that was attempting to deliver 50,000 metric tons of wheat to Yemen’s Saleef port near Hudaydah," the White House said in a statement. "This proves yet again that missile proliferation in Yemen is a real threat to all countries and underscores the need to fully enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216."  Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe

02 Apr 2018

UN Blacklists Dozens over North Korean Smuggling at Sea

© Igor Groshev /Adobe Stock

The United Nations Security Council blacklisted dozens of ships and shipping companies on Friday over oil and coal smuggling by North Korea, boosting pressure on Pyongyang as leader Kim Jong Un plans to meet with his South Korean and U.S. counterparts. The council's North Korea sanctions committee acted on a request by the United States, designating 21 shipping companies -- including five based in China -- 15 North Korean ships, 12 non-North Korean ships and a Taiwanese man. The…

05 Jan 2018

Suspect Involved in N. Korean Oil Smuggling Released on Bail

© leeyiutung / Adobe Stock

A court in Taiwan has released on bail a man prosecutors allege to have made false declarations in the case of a Hong Kong-flagged tanker suspected of transferring oil to North Korea in violation of international sanctions. The man, surnamed Chen, said the vessel was bound for Hong Kong, despite knowing it was bound for international waters to traffic oil products, the prosecutors' office in the southern city of Kaohsiung said on Wednesday. "The suspicion of crime is great," it said in a statement…

31 Dec 2017

N. Korea Oil Embargo: S.Korea Seizes Panama-Flag Ship

© Igor Groshev/Adobe Stock

South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday. The seizure was the second to be revealed by South Korea within a few days, as the United Nations steps up efforts to squeeze essential oil supplies to the reclusive North following its nuclear or ballistic missile tests. The ship, KOTI, was seized at Pyeongtaek-Dangjin port, the official told Reuters, without elaborating, due to the sensitivity of the issue.

20 Sep 2017

Enhancing Maritime Security in Peru

A national table-top exercise on maritime security in Lima, Peru (18-19 September) has supported the country to implement the United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), which imposes binding obligations on all States to adopt legislation to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and their means of delivery and establish appropriate domestic controls over related materials to prevent their illicit trafficking. The Lima exercise focused on the provisions that fall within the scope of International Maritime Organization (IMO) maritime security measures, including SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the International…

11 Oct 2017

U.N. Bans Four Ships over N.Korea Coal, U.S. Mulls Four More

The United Nations Security Council has banned four ships from ports globally for carrying coal from North Korea, including one vessel that also had ammunition, but the United States postponed a bid to blacklist four others pending further investigation. The vessels are the first to be designated under stepped-up sanctions imposed on North Korea by the 15-member council in August and September over Pyongyang's sixth and largest nuclear test and two long-range ballistic missile launches. The Security Council North Korea sanctions committee, which operates by consensus, agreed at the request of the United States, to blacklist the ships on Oct. 3 for "transporting prohibited items from the DPRK" (North Korea), according to documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday. A U.N.

19 Dec 2017

US Asks UN to Blacklist 10 Ships over Banned N.Korea Cargo

© Stanislav Komogorov / Adobe Stock

The United States has proposed that the United Nations Security Council blacklist 10 ships for transporting banned items from North Korea, according to documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The vessels are accused of "conducting illegal ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum products to North Korean vessels or illegally transporting North Korean coal to other countries for exports," the United States said in its proposal. If none of the 15 members of the Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee object to the ships being designated by Thursday afternoon, the U.S.