The Pentagon has sent a warship to shadow a North Korean vessel suspected of carrying illegal arms in an effort to shine the spotlight on countries that facilitate weapons proliferation.

The USS McCain is following the Kang Nam, a North Korean vessel suspected of carrying arms in contravention of a UN resolution. One US official dismissed reports that the McCain was preparing to intercept the North Korean ship once it left waters near the Chinese coast. He added that the US would not go beyond the UN resolution, which urged states only to “inspect vessels, with the consent of the flag state, on the high seas” where the ships were suspected of illegal weapons proliferation.