Maria

North Korea recently sent over 1,000 containers of military equipment to Russia to aid Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine, the U.S. said on Oct 13, 2023. The U.S. mission published imagery apparently showing the process of container shipping from the North Korean port of Rajin to Dunay, a seaport near Vladivostok, by the 'Angara' (IMO: 9179842) between Sep 7 and Oct 1. The images did not show the contents of the containers, but suggest they were moved by rail to an ammunition depot in southwestern Russia near Tikhoretsk, 290 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The White House announcement followed a report by Washington think tank CSIS that suggested stacks of covered goods piling up at a rail station at the Russia-DPRK border were “probable” weapons shipments from North Korea to Russia. NK Pro analysis of on-the-ground photos from the border indicated the tarp-covered goods are for “disinfection,” meaning it is more likely that the goods are imports from Russia. The 'Angara' has not transmitted its AIS position since early August, a possible indication the vessel is engaged in illicit activities. Satellite imagery found that a vessel closely matching the type and dimensions of the 'Angara' berthed at Rason (Rajin) port next to a pier filled with containers on Oct 2 amid signs that the North Korean port has restarted container trade for the first time in five years. Also the 'Maria' was spotted in the satellite imagery. Shortly before the operation began, the two vessels turned off their AIS in order to hide their movements. Seoul and Washington have said that any arms transfers between the North and Russia would be in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and a challenge to global peace. Report with photo: https://www.nknews.org/2023/10/north-korea-sent-mass-shipment-of-weapons-ammo-to-russia-us/

The "Lev Yashin" suffered an engine failure on Nov 29, 2015, in the Okhotsk Sea west of Paramushir island, while en route from the Gulf of Anadyr to Qingdao. The ship was towed to a sheltered place near Shumshu island. On Dec 1 the Russian Navy salvage tug "MB-105" took the ship in tow and proceeded towards Petropavlovsk, ETA Dec 3.