Press Releases
Monitoring and surveillance activities by Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft against illicit maritime activities including ship-to-ship transfers
April 9, 2024
Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A maritime patrol aircraft
(Source: New Zealand Defence Force)
- From mid-April to early May, New Zealand will engage in monitoring and surveillance activities of illicit maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels, prohibited by the United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P-8A Poseidon aircraft will use Kadena Air Base under the Agreement Regarding the Status of the United Nations Forces in Japan. It will be the sixth time for such activities to take place by the RNZAF since 2018. This will be a significant moment as it will be the first overseas deployment for monitoring and surveillance operation of the RNZAF P-8A which replaces the retired P-3K2 Orion.
- Japan welcomes these activities from the viewpoint of ensuring effective implementation of the relevant UNSCRs while maintaining the solidarity of the international community for the realization of North Korea’s dismantlement of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner.
- Japan is also conducting information gathering activities for vessels suspected to be in violation of the UNSCRs, and Japan works closely with related countries including New Zealand and related international organizations.