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The Voice of America (VOA) reported on the 13th that North Korea has purchased a 29-year-old oil tanker and registered it with the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
According to the VOA, the Blue Ocean, which had been missing a ship registry until recently, appeared to have been registered as the North Korean ship Baekdu Mountain 1 on December 6 last year, according to data from the IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS).
The entity that registered Baekdu Mountain 1 is the Baekdu Mountain Transport Company based in Pyongyang, North Korea.
This ship weighs 2998 tons and has been operating under the flags of Japan, Sierra Leone, and Palau since its construction in 1995.
Considering that most countries consider a ship’s lifespan to be 20-30 years, it appears that North Korea has essentially purchased a ship that is unseaworthy in other countries. The ships North Korea purchased last year were mostly built between 2005 and 2010.
North Korea’s purchase of this ship also constitutes a violation of the UN Security Council resolution. Under Resolution 2321, adopted in 2016, the UN Security Council has prohibited UN member states from selling ships to North Korea or purchasing North Korean ships.
However, North Korea’s purchase of used ships is on the rise. The VOA reported that last year, North Korea bought 33 used ships flying Chinese flags. In 2022, North Korea purchased and registered six new ships.
somangchoi@news1.kr