The U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) held a Ship Registry Management and Compliance Standards Symposium in Washington, D.C. this month. ISN Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gonzalo Suarez delivered the opening remarks.

The symposium convened representatives from international ship registries, classification societies, and foreign governments to share experts’ recommendations to counter North Korean sanctions evasion in the maritime domain. Building off the progress made since a complementary meeting ISN co-hosted in July 2019, industry participants deliberated on methods to augment due diligence, inter-industry communication, and stakeholder outreach practices to enhance their ability to detect, disrupt, and report illicit North Korean activities.

North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction remain a major foreign policy concern for the United States. The United States is committed to disrupting North Korea’s illicit funding of its weapons program and supports efforts to enhance implementation of North Korea-related UN Security Council Resolutions. States that maintain high standards for oversight of their ship registries are well-positioned to effectively implement these Resolutions.