A passenger boat sailing on the first regular service between North Korea and Russia arrived in Vladivostok in the Russian Far East on Thursday.

The boat, the Mangyongbong, departed Rajin port in the Rason Special Economic Zone on the northeastern tip of North Korea the previous day. The launch of the weekly service comes at a time when the international community is tightening sanctions on the reclusive country over its missile and nuclear programs.

According to Russian shipping company InvestStroiTrest, no North Koreans passengers were on the vessel which arrived in Vladivostok Thursday morning. Most were Chinese tourists who entered Rason overland from China to go sightseeing in Vladivostok.

The ship will depart on its return trip to Rajin late Sunday evening, the company said. As well as serving Chinese tourists, the ferry will carry North Korean products such as furniture and fishery products as well as Russian humanitarian support goods.

An official of the shipping firm has said the ferry service is a business and does not serve any political purpose.

A similarly named but different vessel, the Mangyongbong-92, used to transport passengers and cargo between Wonsan on North Korea's east coast and Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast on an irregular basis.

Japan banned its port entry in 2006 after North Korea exploded a nuclear device and test-launched a number of ballistic missiles.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed concern to Russia over the ferry service starting up at a time when North Korea is subject to sanctions over its repeated nuclear and missile tests in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions.