A French frigate warship deployed to catch illicit North Korean ship-to-ship transfers discovered two unflagged merchant ships late last month in the East China Sea, the French Armed Forces (FAF) confirmed to NK Pro on Friday. Photos released by France Pacific Command (ALPACI) on social media showed two oil tankers lashed together with hoses at night in a “suspected ship transfer,” according to ALPACI.

An FAF spokesperson said the photos and other information gathered by the Floreal-class frigate “Prairial” would be used to continue working on North Korean maritime sanctions evasions with the U.N. Panel of