North Korea has tasked the Ryongnam Ship Repair Plant in Nampo with constructing an 18,000-ton cargo vessel, marking an ambitious test of the country’s shipbuilding capabilities.
A South Pyongan source told Daily NK recently that the Central Committee ordered earlier this month to “construct a modern 18,000-ton freighter using our own resources,” and instructed the plant to spend three months fully assessing feasibility and practical challenges.
The Cabinet’s Ministry of Land and Maritime Transport oversees the project, and its officials told managers at the Ryongnam Ship Repair Plant that they are “not asking for an immediate yes-or-no verdict on whether it can be done, but to consider if it can be done, and if so, how,” urging them to focus on assessing practicality.
If deemed feasible, the Cabinet will consider establishing an organized production system in its forthcoming five-year strategy. The Central Committee views this as a mid- to long-term plan for shipbuilding development based on the self-reliance-first principle.
The Cabinet has requested on-site evaluation reports on eight key areas, including welding methods, cutting techniques, engine installation, and launching conditions.
The plant formed a review team of its technical-design department and senior workshop technicians, ordering each workshop to submit by August a phased feasibility plan, process schedule, and material requirements report.
The source explained that afterward, the Workers’ Party and the Cabinet would jointly determine final feasibility based on the comprehensive report submitted by the plant.
The source noted, “The Ryongnam Ship Repair Plant has experience constructing 12,000-ton cargo vessels and is equipped with advantageous conditions such as a deep-water port, construction zone, large assembly hall, and launching berth.” However, he warned that “existing facilities may struggle with the new hull dimensions and engine weight, and some aging machinery may need upgrading.”
He added that when the Cabinet said it would provide “ample time,” it did not mean to proceed leisurely, but rather to carry out the task with utmost care and commitment.
Fear mixed with optimism
According to the source, workshops at the plant have voiced optimistic attitudes, with workers saying “If we pull this off, we’ll open new horizons in shipbuilding technology.”
Yet others expressed fear: “My legs shake remembering how officials at Chongjin Shipyard were arrested after an accident during the launching of a 5,000-ton destroyer,” one said. “My hands tremble at the mere mention of shipbuilding.”
The source said workers find it “hard to say we can’t do it, but also hard to say we can,” while insisting “our hands move before words, so we must judge by doing.” Veteran technicians have begun a cautious review of existing blueprints, vowing “for the plant’s honor, let’s first assess what we can achieve.”
Translated by Kyungmin Kim.
