North Korea Takes More Russian Oil

North Korea has stepped up oil imports from Russia with a growing fleet of tankers plying the country’s far eastern ports and terminals, says NK News. 

North Korea seems to be benefitting from Russia’s drive to diversify its markets, and North Korea’s growing tanker fleet has sourced more oil from that country. The rise coincides with more positive relations between Moscow and Pyongyang as Russia looks eastwards away from Europe as a result of the Ukraine crisis.

Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin released North Korea from over $10 billion of Soviet Era debt, with Russian officials hoping this would pave the way for the long-stalled inter-Korean gas pipeline.

North Korea now has more tankers assigned to moving Russian oil and products than it does to Chinese supplies, reports NK News with 11 out of 16 vessels loading fuel in Russia’s Vladivostok, Vostochny and Nahkhodka terminals.

In 2012 North Korea purchased three vessels from Hogla Far East, a Russian company, according to the Equasis shipping database.

While North Korean tankers are comparatively small, they could complete round trips to Russia in as little as three days.

The growing trade with Russia comes amid continuing reports that China has cut-off crude oil deliveries to North Korea. However, NK News has also found at least one North Korean crude oil tanker still regularly visiting Chinese terminals, despite official Chinese trade data indicating otherwise.

China has been North Korea’s primary oil supplier, shipping around 500,000 tons of crude oil a year until China’s trade statistics indicated a cessation of deliveries in January. However, NK News has tracked one of North Korea’s crude oil tankers moving repeatedly between China’s Dalian oil terminal and its home port of Nampho, presumably transporting oil.