Signs Point to Continued Expansion of Nampho Port
North Korea’s Nampho Port continues to be the focus of construction and expansion activity, emphasizing its growing importance within North Korea’s economic and military infrastructure. Commercial satellite imagery shows continued work to expand the dual-use shipbuilding area, the completion of new petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) storage and berthing facilities, and movement at the commercial container port.
Background
Nampho is North Korea’s largest commercial port and is known for its large coal, petroleum, oil and commercial goods import and export facilities. Its position on the west coast of the country offers a more direct route to China and most of the rest of Asia.
Alongside commercial operations, the port also includes construction and repair halls that cater to both commercial vessels and fishing boats, as well as some naval vessels and barges.
In late December 2024, North Korean state media reported the construction of a new destroyer- or frigate-like warship at Nampho. This announcement—and continued activity—may indicate the site’s utility in expanding and modernizing the country’s navy.
Ship Repair and Construction Area
At the new shipbuilding hall, installation of its roof was completed in November and construction has advanced on a number of adjacent buildings. They appear to be part of the same project. Work on these auxiliary structures began at the same time as the new construction hall, although the purpose of each building is unclear.

Work to seal off the former secure boat basin off from the river has progressed significantly since it began to be backfilled with soil in late August 2024 and appears nearly complete. Its original wall remains but has been extended to the west, now connecting the area to the mainland on both ends. The additional land creates space for further construction activity in the shipyard.

Part of this preparatory work is the excavation of 12 large, circular holes alongside a road. The holes are among at least 60 that have appeared across the entire port area. Those adjacent to the new construction hall are, in appearance, reminiscent of those seen in February 2024 that proved to be the footers for the support columns of the new shipbuilding hall.
Other holes observed on imagery from January 23 vary in size and placement, suggesting they may not be intended for building construction. For example, some smaller holes line one of the interior access roads, possibly for planting trees. Whether the range of holes will be for construction or other efforts remains to be seen.


Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants (POL) Storage Area
Four new POL storage tanks that were under construction in a September report have been completed. Preparatory work for the tanks had been visible for several years.
At the end of two nearby wharfs, piers have been built. Previous reporting identified concrete blocks that had been placed into the water to serve as the base for the piers. On imagery from January 23, the surfacing of the pier blocks appeared in progress, signifying the construction work was nearing completion.
In addition to the POL tanks, another has been added to the storage area since early November 2024, as well as two bases for two new tanks.

Container Port
The commercial container port appears busy with the movement of many containers evident in January compared with imagery from September and November 2024. While infrequent imagery does not allow for precise tracking of the flow of containers, imagery shows containers in different locations and configurations, indicating some level of movement has taken place. Bulk carriers are located nearby on imagery; however, it cannot be determined if goods are being loaded, unloaded, or both. This level of activity is high compared to what has been observed over the last few years when, despite some movement, many containers appeared to remain in the same spot for months at a time.

There are also several tractor trailers queued outside the container port, appearing to be waiting to pick up goods from the port.
