Another large cargo vessel appeared for the first time Monday at a North Korean port recently accused of facilitating weapons transfers with Russia, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, as shipping containers continue to flow through the facility.

At around 138 meters long (452 feet), the ship is the largest of at least four different vessels observed transferring shipping containers at Rason Port (Rajin) near North Korea’s border with Russia as part of the alleged weapons operation.

The ship appeared at Rason’s Pier 1 (north pier) carrying hundreds of containers between noon and 2:30 p.m. KST on Oct. 30, Planet Labs satellite imagery shows. 

Evidence suggests the newest ship is likely the Russia-flagged Maia-1 (IMO: 9358010), a U.S.-sanctioned vessel with a history of moving military cargo.

The dimensions and physical structure of the Maia-1 match that of the ship at Rason on Monday, according to NK Pro analysis of Planet Labs imagery.

In a suspicious move pointing to the possibility of illicit activity, the Maia-1 turned its automatic identification system (AIS) location broadcasting off as soon as it arrived at Vostochny Port just up the coast from Rason on Oct. 24, according to tracking service Fleetmon. Planet Labs imagery shows it picking up containers there on Oct. 27 and 28.

NK Pro previously found evidence implicating Vostochny Port in the alleged DPRK-Russia scheme after the Angara — a cargo ship the U.S. identified as part of arms trade at Rason Port — traveled there to pick up containers between trips to Rason earlier in October.

Another major reason for suspecting the Maia-1 is involved in the arms scheme is that the Russian Embassy in India confirmed to media in July 2022 that the ship was being used to transfer Russian “military cargo” to the Indian armed forces at the time.

The Maia-1 is managed by Dagestan-based company MG-Flot — the same company that manages the Lady R, another cargo vessel that NK Pro has identified as involved in the alleged arms trade with Russia. 

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. designated both MG-Flot (known as Transmorflot at the time) and the Maia-1 in May 2022 for transporting “weapons and other military equipment for the Government of Russia.” The sanctions block the company’s assets in the U.S. financial system and prohibit Americans from dealing with them, but the measures have not been adopted at the U.N. level.

It is still unclear precisely what is inside the containers passing through Rason. Washington said on Oct. 13 that containers loaded with “military equipment and munitions” were being picked up by Russian ships at Rason and that, in exchange, Pyongyang sought “military assistance from Russia, including fighter aircraft surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment, or other materials and other advanced technologies.” 

Since Rason began to facilitate container shipping around two months ago, ships have appeared to unload cargo at Pier 1 before moving to Pier 2 (middle pier) to pick up cargo. The port did not conduct container shipping for years until August.

The White House National Security Council and the British think tank RUSI offered evidence that the containers were being shipped from Rason to the remote Russian port of Dunay (Dunai), before being moved by train across the country to an outdoor arms depot close to Ukraine.

NK Pro previously identified Dunay as a military port that Russia used to unload spent nuclear fuel from naval vessels in decades past.

Trains carrying the containers appear to be moving down the North Korean east coast and possibly to arms factories, but direct evidence of specific weapons shipments has yet to emerge.

UPDATES ON OTHER SHIPS

The three other cargo ships that have been identified picking up containers at Rason Port since August — the Angara and Lady R, as well as a ship matching the appearance of the Maria — have appeared to remain involved in the alleged weapons trade in recent weeks.

Their latest activity according to Planet Labs imagery is as follows:

Angara:

• Oct. 23 – Picks up containers at Rason Port Pier 2
• Oct. 27 – Appears at Dunay alongside a Russian naval warship
• Oct. 29 – Still at Dunay without a significant change in cargo

Lady R:

• Oct. 20 – Picks up containers at Rason Port Pier 2

Maria:

• Oct. 14 to 20 – Picks up containers at Dunay
• Oct. 26 – Drops off containers at Rason Port Pier 1
• Oct. 27 – Picks up containers at Rason Port Pier 2

Edited by Alannah Hill