Sanctioned Russian cargo ship Maia-1, linked to North Korean arms runs, sails south along Norway's coast

The Russian cargo ship Maia-1, which has repeatedly been seen in the North Korean port of Rason, was sailing south along the northern Norwegian coast on 22 October, The Barents Observer reports. According to ship traffic data cited by the newspaper, it left Kildin Island, north of Murmansk, on 21 October, and satellite images from 17 October showed a ship closely resembling it in a bay south-east of the island. The paper says the ship is on EU and US sanctions lists, and that its manager MG-Flot is sanctioned by the US, EU and UK over ties to Russia's Defence Ministry and arms deliveries from Iran and North Korea. Its destination and cargo are unclear.

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