North Korea’s sanctioned fleet more active after UN watchdog goes dark
- Foreign port calls by sanctioned North Korea-linked vessels rose from four in 2019 to 25 in 2025, despite little growth in the fleet, according to new report
- Suspected ship-to-ship transfers hit an 11-year high, with 91 events recorded in 2025
- Researchers say Russia’s dismantling of UN sanctions oversight has weakened enforcement and enabled more systematic evasion
Sanctioned North Korean ships are making more port calls and suspected ship-to-ship transfers as UN monitoring fades, exposing a more entrenched sanctions evasion network
