A North Korean ship recently reappeared after vanishing in Chinese waters five years ago, tracking data shows, raising questions about its whereabouts and possible involvement in sanctions evasion since then. 

Late last week, the 3,800-deadweight ton Dae Bong 1 (IMO 8408193) broadcasted over the automatic identification system (AIS) for the first time since July 2017 from inside Nampho’s lock gates, where it has since made several transmissions while idling outside a shipyard.

AIS refers to a collection of ship-based radios, ground stations and satellites that provide vessel locations and other identifying information. Before last week, the Dae