A Russian vessel was spotted in the DPRK port of Rason; this is the first visit since May

The 113-meter-long vessel docked on September 20 at a pier previously used to ship containers to Russia, allegedly containing weapons and ammunition. There were many containers at the pier where it was moored; the vessel remained there until September 22.

As NK Pro writes, this was the first visit by a Russian vessel to Rason since May. At that time, the port was visited by Lev Yashin (Lev Yashin, IMO 8517839, formerly Maria) — a cargo ship under international sanctions that has regularly called at this port since 2023.

According to the outlet, Russian cargo ships Maia-1 (IMO 9358010), Lady R (IMO 9161003), and Angara (IMO 9179842) have also frequently visited Rason. NK Pro notes that the September vessel resembles Lev Yashin in length, color, and crane placement, but AIS data showed that during the same period Lev Yashin was near Kamchatka and Chukotka, unless the signal was spoofed.

NK Pro writes that, according to this year’s estimates, since August 2023 the DPRK has sent between 8 million and 11 million artillery shells to Russia in about 30,000 containers. The outlet also reminds readers that under international maritime law, vessels are required to keep their AIS signal on throughout the entire voyage.

A 2025 report by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said that oil tankers of Russia’s “shadow fleet” often turn off AIS to make detection and sanctions enforcement more difficult.

Sources

• Material: theins.ru