Coal Exports from Rason at Highest Levels in Years
Exports of coal from North Korea’s major coal ports are at levels not seen in several years. Commercial satellite imagery shows large amounts of coal at the international port in Rason, centered around one pier operated by Russia’s Rason Transnational Container Transportation JVC (RasonConTrans). However, it is unclear if the coal is of North Korean origin or is being transshipped from Russia.
UN Security Council Resolution 2371 bans the export of coal from North Korea, although RasonConTrans has an exemption for Russian-origin coal.
Meanwhile, coal exports from the country’s west coast Nampho port, continues to be strong. North Korean state media has reported several times this year that coal mines in the country are ahead of their production targets and that new coal faces have been discovered.
Rason Port
Russia’s RasonConTrans has a 49-year lease of one of the three piers at Rason, situated in the northeast corner of North Korea. This is a strategically important port because it remains free of ice during the winter, whereas Russia’s eastern deep seaports, including Vladivostok, ice over during the winter months, preventing their use by large ships.
A Russian-gauge railway track has also been laid from the port to the Russian border, to allow trains to directly transport goods from the port into Russia.
Coal Volumes
Large volumes of coal were seen in commercial satellite imagery until around 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic led North Korea to close its borders and cease most international trade. Coal volumes fell considerably during the pandemic years, and Rason has been mostly void of coal since October 2023.
In early April 2024, coal began to reappear at the pier. The quantity visible in commercial satellite imagery has gradually increased since, and ships were captured loading coal on several days in 2024 and thus far in 2025, including: June 2, July 20, August 7, September 13, December 7, January 2 and March 3. Daily high-resolution imagery of the pier is not available, so this list is not exhaustive.
On April 18, a large amount of coal was present at the Russian pier.
Nampho Port
At Nampho Port on the west coast, the country’s largest commercial port, coal is brought in by train from domestic mines and stored in large bins before being loaded on ships, likely for export to China or southeast Asian nations.
The bins make exact coal volumes more difficult to assess, but they appeared to drop during COVID-19 and then began to climb in late 2023. At the same time, the number of bulk carriers at the port began to increase.
Since February 2024, large ships have been routinely observed in satellite imagery receiving coal at the port.
