A Chinese-flagged cargo ship known to sail exclusively within Chinese waters arrived outside the key North Korean port of Nampho last week, ship tracking data shows, a likely illegal voyage that suggests Pyongyang may have loosened its maritime COVID-19 trade restrictions.

According to automatic identification system (AIS) data from MarineTraffic, the Shun Chang 78 set sail from Rongcheng, China around 21:00 UTC on April 20 toward Nampho. It disappeared from AIS the next day, only to reappear on April 30 anchored alongside dozens of ships waiting to enter Nampho’s lock gates. 

Even then the ship continued to broadcast