Yacht linked to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich suspected of smuggling coal to China
DPRK-flagged vessel sails to China while broadcasting as Roman Abramovich pleasure boat docked thousands of miles away
The oligarch’s yacht is anchored off the coast of Turkey.
North Korea used the data of oligarch Roman Abramovich’s yacht to disguise one of its cargo vessels — likely in an attempt to deliver goods in violation of UN sanctions.
This was reported by the South Korean outlet NK News. According to their information, a mysterious cargo ship departed from a North Korean port on May 6 and arrived in the Chinese city of Yantai on May 8 — a location known as a transit hub for North Korean coal.
Since 2006, UN sanctions have banned the export of coal from North Korea. The article’s authors suggest that the use of falsified vessel data indicates an attempt to smuggle goods or conceal other illicit activities. It is also noted that North Korean ships frequently use fake identifiers.
It is unclear whether Roman Abramovich is aware that the data of his 162-meter yacht, Eclipse, was used for smuggling purposes. However, his yacht is typically located in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Marmaris, Turkey.
Since 2002, all maritime vessels with a gross tonnage of 300 or more are required to be equipped with a device that transmits registration data through the Automatic Identification System (AIS). This system is designed to facilitate navigation and prevent collisions in poor weather conditions. It provides information such as the vessel’s coordinates, speed, course, and other data.
Changing a vessel’s AIS data requires registration with relevant national maritime authorities and access to a special password. In other words, inputting falsified information into the system is not easy — yet, as this case shows, North Korea appears to have found a way to do so.
World Affairs Correspondent
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