A sanctioned North Korean vessel is currently heading past Japan’s coast, just outside the country’s territorial waters, according to ship tracking website Marine Traffic.

Appearances of the DPRK’s blacklisted ships outside the North’s waters have become increasingly infrequent after the passage of UN Resolution 2270 in March this year.

But the 7000 tonne Thae Pyong San appeared close to a Japanese island late on Sunday night. The ship has since sailed southwest, passing within a few kilometers of Japan’s territorial waters around the island in the early hours of Monday morning.[/p