A cargo ship that departed from China appears to have conducted an illegal ship-to-ship transfer in North Korean waters off the country’s west coast last week, satellite imagery and ship-tracking data show.

The activity fits with the DPRK’s recent pattern of conducting transfers for coal exports away from ports due to COVID-19 concerns, one expert told NK Pro.

Planet Labs satellite imagery taken on June 11 shows two cargo ships positioned next to each other some 42 miles (70 km) from North Korea’s main port of Nampho. The vessels’ barges are open, suggesting an illicit