Another massive ship was spotted at the coal loading dock in North Korea’s Najin Port. The amount of coal piled up at the dock has significantly increased compared to two months ago.
Based on the analysis of satellite images taken by the private satellite company Planet Labs, Voice of America (VOA) reported on June 4 that a 623-foot-long ship was discovered at the Russian-exclusive coal loading dock in Najin Port on June 2.
VOA speculated that the ship was loading coal from the dock, as black objects were already in the ship’s cargo hold.
This is the second time a large ship has been spotted after a large amount of coal has been detected. VOA had previously reported that coal began to pile up on April 7 in an open area 984 feet (300m) away from this Najin Port. On April 17, a 623-foot-long large ship was confirmed to be moored.
The UN Security Council has completely banned the overseas export of North Korean minerals, including coal. Therefore, if the coal loaded on this ship is from North Korea and is heading overseas, it violates the Security Council’s resolution. However, sanction exceptions are recognized for third-country coal shipped from Najin Port. Therefore, if this coal is from Russia, it is not subject to sanctions.
Both the ships spotted in May and this month are operating with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off as per International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations. Therefore, VOA pointed out that there is currently no way to know where these ships transported the coal from Najin Port.
VOA also noted that the amount of coal piled up in Najin Port has significantly increased. As of May 25, coal fills about half of the dock where the ship is moored, and coal is piled up in an open area 984 feet away. Also, since early May, coal has been piled up to a length of 426 feet in another open area 1,312 feet north of the dock.