On May 29, Voice of America (VOA) reported that a large vessel was spotted at Najin Port, known as the site of arms trade between North Korea and Russia.
According to satellite images taken by the private satellite company Planet Labs on May 25, a ship about 377 feet long is seen moored tightly to the dock. Another object, presumed to be a container, is placed on the dock right before it. This ship is about 426 feet long and is assumed to be loading this container.
While it’s impossible to tell what’s inside the container just from satellite images, the fact that a large ship has docked at a place designated by the White House as a site of the North Korean-Russian arms trade is noteworthy.
The White House previously disclosed satellite images in October last year, showing scenes of over 300 sea transportation containers of about 20 feet being loaded at Najin Port, asserting that North Korea had provided Russia with military equipment and ammunition in more than 1,000 containers. According to VOA, since a large vessel was spotted here on August 26 last year, an estimated 26 vessels have entered and exited this area until the end of 2023.
However, the overall movement has slowed since March, with only one to two vessels docking per month. It’s also been 12 days since the last time a large vessel loading containers at Najin Port was captured.