Chinese ships loiter near site of ship-to-ship transfers in North Korean waters
Activity appears far from usual transfer sites, while anomalies in at least two ships’ broadcasts point to tampering
Chinese ships have congregated in North Korean waters unusually far from the country’s main port of Nampho in recent weeks, ship-tracking data and satellite imagery show, while several ship-to-ship transfers appear to have taken place in the area.
The activity suggests vessels are assembling outside established staging areas to avoid detection, as ship-to-ship transfers are a key part of the DPRK’s sanctions evasion strategy.
According to maritime tracking database MarineTraffic, at least three Chinese-flagged ships — the Shan He, Jin Ye 18 and Ciyan 178 — anchored close to one another roughly 35 nautical miles (56 kilometers) from Nampho
