Tankers directly shuttling oil between Russia and North Korea

North Korean tankers have repeatedly loaded oil products in Russia and delivered to North Korean terminals in 2024, according to a report by the BBC and Open Source Centre (OSC).

The partners used satellite imagery, AIS data and images from patrols monitoring North Korean assets to trace frequent journeys from Russia’s Vostochny port to terminals and ports in North Korea. 

When Paek Yang San 1 called Vostochny on March 7 2024 to load oil, the North Korean tanker was the first to call Russia since 2017.

Many of the voyages recorded since were by vessels sanctioned under the UN’s 1718 Designated Vessels List, a designation which should prevent flagging and port entry, as well as freeze assets related to the ships.

The designated vessels are generally on the list for engaging in sanction-busting ship-to-ship transfers, and include Yu Son, Rye Song Gang, Kum Jin Gang 3, Chon Ma San, Sam Ma 2, and An San. At least another nine vessels were also recorded loading in Russia and unloading in North Korea.

The ships are product tankers of between 1,000 and 9,000 dwt, predominantly on the lower end of the scale, and tend to be at least 20 years old. The most recent inspections carried out on the ships were in 2017, according to the Equasis database, before the carriage of prohibited items to and from North Korea was added as a reason for UN designation.

One of the vessels, Rye Song Gang 1, a 3,003 dwt product tanker, is 50 years old. The ship was built in 1974 and is flagged in North Korea. According to Equasis, the ship’s last inspection was in Vladivostok in 2017. 

The direct transfer of oil between Russia and North Korea marks a change in tactics for Pyongyang, which previously sourced its oil using ship-to-ship transfers of oil products in the China Sea.

The UN currently limits North Korea’s oil product imports to 500,000 barrels per year, but the BBC and OSC report indicates that over a million barrels have been imported since March 2024, if the vessels were all fully laden, and 707,926 barrels if the vessels were 75% loaded.

Images of the vessels show them steaming to Russia high in the water, and returning low in the water, indicating loading of a large volume of cargo.

“These figures are also based on observed visits and do not count possible visits that were not identified because of cloud cover or lack of satellite coverage. As a result, this assessment potentially represents a conservative number,” the report said.

The new trade in oil comes as North Korea is supplying munitions to Russia for its war in Ukraine.