North Korea’s Seokdo seen from Daeyeonpyeongdo Island in Ongjin-gun, Incheon. 2022.10.22/News1 ⓒ News1 Reporter Jang Soo-young
(Seoul = News 1) Reporter Kim Seo-yeon = Voice of America (VOA) reported on the 17th that four ships were captured once more in the West Sea of North Korea in close contact at once.
According to VOA, on the 16th, the previous day, in the Planet Labs satellite photo taken south of Chodo in the West Sea of North Korea, ships of 110m, 100m, 50m, and 100m in length were captured side by side.
It is believed to be a transshipment act using a barge for a crane, in the form of three long ships lined up with a small ship in between.
In particular, a yellowish object was contained in the loading box of a 100m long ship in the far south, and an object of the same color was also observed in the front of another ship.
VOA explained that “sand that appears yellow on satellite images or objects contained in bags appear to have been transported from one ship to another.”
Meanwhile, not far from this point, three additional ships with hulls attached were also found, VOA said.
VOA said, “If you add this case, the total number of suspected transshipment cases this year will increase to 32 cases.” “Within less than three months into the new year, we have already almost filled last year’s suspected transshipment cases (36 cases), and if this trend continues, the scale of last year will be exceeded within this month.” will be surpassed,” he said.
According to UN Security Council Resolution 2375, adopted in 2017, North Korea or ships representing North Korea are prohibited from receiving any goods through transshipment on the high seas.