Vessels are now regularly traversing the Nampho-Dalian water route with an average turnaround of three and a half days between entering and leaving port, NK Pro analysis revealed this week, indicating a major scaling-down of quarantine measures at one of the DPRK’s busiest trade hubs in recent weeks.

An NK Pro audit of all automatic identification system (AIS)-transmitting vessels near Nampho between April 17 and May 12 showed at least nine vessels consistently entering or leaving port, with four vessels departing on April 23-25 and normal, short turnarounds upon their return — suggesting previous quarantine measures were lifted on or around that date.

Given that many North Korean-affiliated vessels often travel without transmitting AIS signals, even the small sample size captured suggests that most of the active fleet is back in action, following a recall of the DPRK’s merchant navy in late March.

Previous analysis by NK Pro also noted patterns of ten-day and twenty-day quarantine cycles at Nampho’s container yard, in line with a quarantine policy requiring arriving vessels to keep containers in “their natural state” for ten days.

Timelapse showing traffic between Nampo and Dalian between April and May | Imagery: Planet

However, those quarantine procedures appear to have lifted at Nampho, where two consecutive days of deliveries on May 2 and 3 and significant deliveries on May 3 and May 12 suggested the twenty-day cycle between shipments has been lifted.

The containers of goods themselves, however, may be being quarantined in another area after being removed from the yard.

AIS data indicates vessels regularly traversing the Dalian-Nampho route spent an average of 3.4 days between entering and leaving Nampho, as opposed to the two week-long hold periods seen at the height of quarantine measures in March.

However, one outlier, the Kum Ya, had a 22 day-wait period from April 19 to May 12.

The Kum Ya’s long wait period indicates that it entered before procedures were relaxed around April 23, after which returning vessels, such as the Ko San Jin 1, had an average 3.4 day turnaround.

Timelapse showing activity at Nampo port between April and May | Imagery: Planet

Data also indicates ships spent an average of 4.4 days at sea, suggesting shorter wait times at Dalian, which previously required a health declaration and on-site health inspection by customs that left vessels lingering at port.

It takes approximately 20 hours to traverse the route one-way and in least in five cases, a mysterious five-hour gap in AIS signal-broadcasting appeared as the vessels (Sa Hyang San, K. Morning, JS 3, Kum Pit, Un Bong 1) approached Nampho on their return leg.

Accounting for travel, time spent at ports performing normal business like transferring cargo, and the delays mentioned above, the average of 4.4 days at sea indicates limited quarantine procedures at Dalian that only hold vessels for up to two days.

The resumption of regular water routes between the DPRK and China also offers hope for the resumption of trade at other cross-border hubs, such as the Dandong land border.

Edited by Oliver Hotham