North Korean ship sets out from staging ground for previous sanctions evasion operation

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs and vessel location tracking analyzed by NK Pro show a DPRK ship recently moving between North Korean and Chinese bulk handling ports, facilities capable of processing sanctioned materials like iron and coal.

While North Korean vessels broadcasting their locations in foreign ports is not uncommon, DPRK ships using their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders within the DPRK’s own ports is unusual.

But the North Korean-flagged Jin Hung 8 has broadcast its location moving between Longkou, in northeast China, and Haeju, a DPRK port relatively near the Northern Limit Line (NLL