North Korea on Thursday denied any responsibility for an oil tanker that loaded crude from a rebel-held port in Libya and eluded attempts to seize it, saying the vessel that carried its flag was linked to an Egyptian company. North Korea said the tanker violated its laws and a contract with the Egyptian company, Golden East Logistics, by carrying contraband cargo. It said it had notified Libya and the International Maritime Organization that it had severed all association with the ship. The North’s maritime agency said that it had temporarily allowed the company to use its flag under a six-month contract signed in February but that the company ignored its demand to leave Libya without loading oil. The company said it had been responsible for the vessel’s certification until its North Korean flag was canceled this week but was not the operator.