Valiant’s appearance in DPRK ports may indicate the ship’s purchase of or attempt to smuggle fossils or arms, experts say.
An obscure Sierra Leone-flagged freighter, with a murky past, appeared in key North Korean ports in what experts described as a possible attempt to smuggle energy resources or weaponry, in violation of U.N. sanctions.
The 1,361-ton Valiant sailed from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Sept. 28 and reached North Korea’s largest port of Nampho on Sept. 30 and Songnim — a DPRK port upstream of the Taedong River — on Oct. 4, Marine Traffic data shows.
The vessel’s past movements and discrepancies in ownership information across different databases raise concerns about its real identity.
Maritime tracking service Fleetmon lists the Valiant as a grain carrier built in 2005 and registered under International Maritime Organization (IMO) identification number 6670030, which does not appear to be linked to any vessel on IMO, Tokyo Memorandum, or Equasis databases.
Marine Traffic, another vessel tracking website, lists an “aggregates carrier” named Valiant under IMO number 8744561.
Both Fleetmon and Marine Traffic state that the Valiant sails under a Sierra Leonean flag.
North Korean vessels often use flags from other countries, including Sierra Leone, to disguise their fleet, while engaging in illicit activities at sea.
The lack of available ownership data regarding the Valiant across different databases adds even more uncertainty about its identity.
IMO and Equasis records show that an “undisclosed interest” acquired the vessel in late 2021.
Manipulating vessels’ broadcasts, and ownership records and creating fake identities have long been key techniques in the arsenal of North Korean smugglers.
Yoon In-joo, a research fellow at the Korea Maritime Institute, told NK News that “it is entirely possible that the Valiant was sold to North Korea and it now carries DPRK colours,” while “maritime databases have not reflected the change yet.”
Songnim is a relatively small port city located south of Pyongyang on the Taedong River, which heavily relies on its main industrial facility — the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex — and complements Nampho as a trade port dealing with fossil fuels.
Yoon explained that if the Valiant ferried coal from Songnim or supplied oil to North Korea beyond the established limit, it would be a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 2321 and 2397, respectively.
However, she cautioned that “carrying coal and oil does not necessarily mean a sanctions breach,” as the vessel could be used to transport energy resources exclusively between North Korean cities to satisfy “domestic demand” without engaging in international trade.
Another expert told NK News that North Korean authorities may use Songnim not only for procuring energy resources but also as a getaway for its arms shipments.
“It is possible that the Sierra Leone-flagged Valiant came to Songnim for an arms deal,” Satoru Miyamoto, a professor of international politics at Seigakuin University, told NK News, but he did not specify the transaction’s potential parties.
According to Miyamoto, the North Korean military has used Songnim as “a port for arms exports” in the past.
UNSCR 1718 initially prohibited other countries from procuring heavy conventional weapons, ballistic missiles and related material from North Korea. Subsequently, UNSCR 1874 and 2270 extended the arms embargo on the DPRK to include small arms.
FOREIGN COLORS
The Valiant’s odyssey in North Korean waters comes amid an uptick in the appearance of foreign-flagged ships near DPRK seaports since last August.
Fleetmon records show that the Panama-flagged vessel Ever Line (IMO 9405309) made a trip to the city of Taean, a major hub for China-bound coal, on Sept. 19, changing berths in the port until Oct. 4 when it set sail toward Nampho. It subsequently left the Nampho area, heading toward an unknown direction.
Notably, no vessel under the name Ever Line appears to be registered with the IMO, while Fleetmon records show that it flew DPRK colours under the name Ryo Song between 2017 and 2018.
According to the IMO database, the Ryo Song/Ever Line had changed names multiple times in the past and used an array of foreign flags, including the South Korean one.
Similarly, the Long Rise (IMO 8798055), a cargo vessel under Cameroonian colours, appeared in the Nampho area on Aug. 16-17, eventually ceasing its radio broadcasts, according to Fleetmon.
The vessel appears to have sailed under the name Every Star and a Sierra Leonian flag since 2020 before it recently assumed its current identity, according to its transmissions captured by Fleetmon and Marine Traffic.
The IMO database has no listings of any vessels named Long Rise, with the registry entry for the Every Star showing that it belongs to Hong Kong-based King Chuen International but failing to state the vessel’s flag.
In an odd sign of possible resurrection, a 1979-built cargo vessel last known as the Ocean Dawn (IMO 7614733) resumed radio transmissions from Nampho in late August, a decade after it was scrapped in 2013, Fleetmon records show.
In its previous iteration, the ship flew DPRK colours and sailed under the name Dae San. In 2012, Somali authorities impounded it for dumping 5,000 metric tonnes of cement in the ocean.
China-flagged boats also continue to frequent North Korean ports, with three cargo vessels — the Hongjin11, Kai Xua Gong 888 and Hai Yang 5828 — appearing in the Nampho area in late August alone.
Miyamoto noted that it is not surprising to see a growing number of foreign ships visiting DPRK seaports, citing North Korea’s lifting of its “border blockade” imposed to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Researcher Yoon raised the issue of fleet databases being unable to promptly reflect vessels’ ever-changing names and owners as one of the key factors hindering the work of sanctions monitors and scholars.
The expert pointed out that “fleet databases” are full of “fundamental flaws” as they often fail to present updated information on changes in ownership, management and status of vessels in real-time.
The uptick in the number of foreign-flagged boats near DPRK ports comes after NK News found evidence of Chinese-flagged vessels fishing in North Korean waters this week, likely violating international sanctions.
