As the world prepares to turn the corner to 2021, North Korean fleets show no sign of recovering from the general COVID-19 slowdown they suffered this year. And as decades-old, already-rusted vessels linger and decay at ports all over North Korea, this winter will likely impact the capabilities of the DPRK’s aging fleet.

In 2020, North Korea-linked Automatic Identification System (AIS) data showed significant shipping slowdowns that closely mirror the country’s strict COVID-19 prevention policies. Once-favored commercial ports like Dalian, China are now rare destinations for DPRK vessels, while voyages to Chinese coal-smuggling hotspots continued — once again