Press Releases
Monitoring and surveillance activities by Canada against illicit maritime activities including ship-to-ship transfers
June 16, 2026
Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN
(Source: Department of National Defence of Canada)
- From late May to mid-June, Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN conducted monitoring and surveillance activities against illicit maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels prohibited by the United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), in waters surrounding Japan. It was the fifteenth time for the Royal Canadian Navy vessel to engage in these activities since 2018.
- Japan welcomes these activities from the viewpoint of ensuring effective implementation of the relevant UNSCRs in solidarity with the international community toward 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.
- As Japan has also been conducting information-gathering activities on vessels suspected of violating the UNSCRs, Japan works closely with relevant countries and international organizations, including Canada.