At least 15 North Korea-linked ships were active in the second half of February, furthering signs that the country’s maritime trade is picking up pace after a winter of COVID-19-related lockdowns.

Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from Feb. 15 to March 3 show increased activity from North Korea-linked ships in both known coal smuggling routes and legal commercial waterways. Last month, the Korea International Trade Association reported that North Korea had plans to restart DPRK-Chinese trade by either mid-February or April, citing sources based in Dandong, China.

Previously, only a handful of North Korea-linked ships have