It has been revealed that significant progress has been made in the recovery operation of North Korea's new 5,000-ton-class multi-purpose destroyer, which ran aground during its launching ceremony on May 21.
According to a report by 38 North, a media outlet specializing in North Korea, commercial satellite imagery taken on June 2 (local time) showed the toppled 5,000-ton-class destroyer had been righted. This occurred about two weeks after the grounding incident. Previously, the Korean Central News Agency reported that it would take two to three days to drain seawater from the capsized destroyer and about ten days to repair the side of the hull.
The operation to right the vessel appears to have been carried out manually. Satellite images taken on May 29 captured workers on the pier pulling what appeared to be ropes attached to the ship. In addition, more than 30 balloons were observed arranged on one side of the hull.
Initially, these balloons were interpreted as being used to prevent the vessel from sinking, but 38 North analyzed that they were actually devices used to help right the ship.
During the failed side launch, it is believed that the bow became stuck on the launching apparatus and could not move forward, resulting in only the stern entering the water. In the June 2 image, the bow is still on land.
Furthermore, satellite imagery from May 29 showed what appeared to be damage to the sonar (sound navigation device) section of the bow. To repair this, the vessel would need to be completely removed from the water and transferred to a large floating dock or dry dock. However, it is known that the Chongjin Shipyard does not have such facilities.
38 North assessed, "Although the ship has now been righted, the bow remains stuck on the launching apparatus, indicating an intention to repair the bow first."
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