Mapped: North Korea's oil routes



Evergreen Mapped: North Korea’s oil routes North Korea takes Russian oil while China's crude cut-off seems increasingly unlikely James Byrne \| Leo Byrne August 28, 2014 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON John Loo, Flickr Creative Commons North Korea has stepped up oil imports from Russia with a growing fleet of tankers plying the country’s far eastern ports and terminals, NK News can reveal after a two-month investigation into the DPRK’s vessel movements and oil trading activities. The growing trade with Russia comes amid continuing reports that China has cut-off crude oil deliveries to North Korea. However, NK News has also found at least one North Korean crude oil tanker still regularly visiting Chinese terminals, indicating that trade is ongoing despite the absence of crude deliveries in official Chinese trade data. THE RUSSIAN CONNECTION Already one of © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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Mapped: North Korea’s oil routes

North Korea takes Russian oil while China's crude cut-off seems increasingly unlikely

James Byrne | Leo Byrne August 28, 2014

John Loo, Flickr Creative Commons

North Korea has stepped up oil imports from Russia with a growing fleet of tankers plying the country’s far eastern ports and terminals, NK News can reveal after a two-month investigation into the DPRK’s vessel movements and oil trading activities.

The growing trade with Russia comes amid continuing reports that China has cut-off crude oil deliveries to North Korea.

However, NK News has also found at least one North Korean crude oil tanker still regularly visiting Chinese terminals, indicating that trade is ongoing despite the absence of crude deliveries in official Chinese trade data.

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James Byrne

James Byrne is a Research Fellow at RUSI’s Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme. His research interests include North Korea’s illicit shipping and procurement networks, open-source intelligence and analysis. He previously worked for the South Korean government.

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