The new regulations could add as many as 200 Chinese chip companies to a trade restriction list that prohibits most U.S. suppliers from shipping goods to the targeted firms.
UN sanctions ban countries from selling oil to North Korea, except in small quantities, in an attempt to repress its economy to prevent it from further developing nuclear weapons.
November 19 marked a year since Houthi rebels attacked the British-owned Galaxy Leader cargo ship as it moved through the Red Sea, taking its crew hostage.
Investigators say that the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 left a Russian port on November 15, and was passing through the area of each cable at the time they were damaged.
This year, the LA and Long Beach ports, which together account for roughly a third of all U.S. container imports, have seen their busiest ever peak season.