Earlier this month, Egyptian authorities seized a suspicious bulk freighter from North Korea for carrying a huge cache of rocket-propelled grenades. Now the United Nations banned four cargo ships for violating the sanctions on Kim’s regime, Fox News reported.

A ban was issued by the United Nations Security Council, directing all countries not to allow four cargo ships to enter their ports. These cargo ships include the following: Jie Shun, Hao Fan 6, Petrel 8, and Tong San 2. The ships violated the UN sanctions on North Korea by transporting prohibited goods to and from the communist regime.

Leading the investigation was Hugh Griffiths. According to Griffiths, this was actually the first time in the United Nations history in which UNSC banned ships from entering all ports, The Star reported.

A stricter policy by United Nations

Based on the data of MarineTraffic, which is a maritime database that monitors vessels and their moments, San 2 was registered in North Korea, Hao Fan 6 in St. Kitts and Nevis, and Petrel 8 in Comoros. Although MarineTraffic did not actually list the flag of Jie Shun, the database showed that the ship was found in the Bohai Sea off north China.

Moreover, Griffiths explained that the swift action by the sanctions committee of the United Nations followed the August 6 UNSC resolution which authorized port bans.

On October 5, the four cargo ships were officially banned for transporting illegal goods to North Korea.

The UNSC resolution was created after Kim Jong-un’s regime successfully tested the ICBM which was capable of reaching the US mainland. That resolution likewise banned the rogue nation from exporting lead, iron, and coal as well as seafood products.

Those goods approximately cost North Korea more than $1 billion. The resolution aimed to squeeze North Korea’s economy to a point that it would finally stop its nuclear weapons program.

Pushing the rogue nation to a corner

On September 11, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved tougher sanctions against North Korea as a response to the latter’s sixth and probably the strongest Hydrogen bomb test on September 3.

The latest UN sanctions banned the communist regime from exporting textile products. The sanctions also banned oil imports to the regime. Joint ventures and co-operative operations with North Korea were also banned. In addition, all countries were directed to bar North Koreans from acquiring work permits.

The UN resolutions sought to push Kim’s regime back to the negotiating table on its nuclear weapons programs.