A report says a fleet of Chinese distant-water fishing vessels used North Korean crews in violation of U.N. bans and many were apparently subjected to abuses including being trapped at sea for years.

Thousands of miles from home, North Koreans work on Chinese tuna longliners in the Indian Ocean for pay that goes to their leader, a new study says.

North Korean workers face forced labor aboard Chinese tuna longliners operating in the Indian Ocean to generate foreign revenue, potentially in breach of U.N. sanctions, a recent nongovernmental organization report showed Monday.

North Korean workers have been forced to work on Chinese fishing vessels for years on-end, facing verbal and physical abuse as well as harsh conditions.