By Xinhua
Seoul : A South Korean ship with 6,200 tonnes of heavy fuel oil left Ulsan port for North Korea Thursday.
It was the first delivery of heavy fuel oil to the DPRK under an agreement adopted in February's six-party talks on the nuclear issues on the Korean peninsula.
The ship left the port at midnight and is expected to arrive in the north-eastern port of Sonbong in North Korea Saturday after a 36-hour voyage. It will return to South Korea next Monday or Tuesday after unloading the oil.
Pyongyang announced last week that it would shut down nuclear reactors after receiving the first delivery of heavy fuel oil.
Under an earlier agreement between Seoul and Pyongyang, South Korea will deliver a total of 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil within 20 days of the first delivery.
Under the joint agreement reached during the six-party talks in February, North Korea promised to shut down its nuclear facilities as initial steps towards denuclearisation, while other parties would provide a total of one million tonnes of heavy fuel oil to Pyongyang.