On June 20th 2009, U.S navy destroyer USS John McCain began following a North Korean vessel that was suspected of proliferation and transportation of weapons and nuclear material. Kang Nam, the North Korean cargo ship sailed off the Chinese coast last week and has been followed by USS John McCain ever since.

The following of Kang Nam is part of an all new UN resolution that allows the member states of the United Nations to follow, intercept and board suspected North Korean vessels. However, North Korea has repeatedly stated that any such action would be considered an act of war and would entail dire consequences.

These sanctions have been imposed on North Korea in the wake of its second nuclear test and the test fire of its short and long range missiles. Kang Nam has a history of ferrying banned substances and due to the same reason, it is currently being followed. However, the exact nature of its cargo hasn’t been determined yet.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, “It’s evident that a solid peace on the Korean peninsula cannot be established unless the U.S. hostile policy and its plot to isolate our republic are put to an end.”

As of now, the U.S navy destroyer hasn’t been ordered to intercept or board the vessel, but it is estimated that Kang Nam will have to refuel during its journey to Myanmar. This in turn complicates the situations, as the UN member states are prohibited from providing any sort of technical assistance to to suspected vessels. The nearest refueling port is Singapore and the Singapore authorities had stated that if Kang Nam dock in its port, then appropriate action will be taken after determining the nature of the cargo on board.

According to many analysts, Kang Nam may not even be transporting contraband, as it would aware of its status among maritime law enforcement agencies. Even if it does have contraband on board, the most Singapore authorities can do, is to refuse the refueling of the vessel.

Via AP.