Nampo Naval Base / Port (Nampo)

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Nampho Naval Base and port.

Nampho (formerly Chinnamp'o), the only major seaport on the west coast of North Korea, is located on the estuary of the Taedong-gang, the waterway serving P'yongyang, the capital. Nampho serves as the maritime outlet for the capital and one of the most important industrial regions of the country. The port is the site of large copper and zinc smelters, glass and optical plants, a major shipbuilding and ship-repair complex, the North Korean Naval Headquarters, and the headquarters and operating base of the Yellow Sea Fleet.

According to declassified reports, the Nampho Naval Base complex provides administrative, operational and logistic support for the North Korean Naval Command and the Western (Yellow Sea) Fleet. Other facilities include a training school, communications facilities, and miscellaneous storage and support facilities. As of 1970 the naval shipyard had three 50- to 150-ton marine railways and a transverser for repairing patrol craft and security boats.

Nampho is an improved river harbor on the Taedong-gang estuary about 25 miles SW of Pyongyang. The harbor, along the north bank about 15 miles upriver, consisted of a 4-mile-long by 1-mile wide river section and 2 tidal basins, totaling about 35 acres. Depths at riverside facilities range from 8 to 32 ft. The approach from Korea Bay is wide and deep and the fairway through the estuary has a controlling depth of 37 ft. It is about 650 yd. wide at its narrowest point.The harbor is adequately sheltered by surrounding terrain. Ebb current has a maximum velocity of 4.5 knots and flood current 3.5 knots. Strong tidal currents may cause dragging at anchorage. The harbor is frequently frozen over and may be closed during January and February. Heavy fog is prevalent during June and August.

Anchorage consists of 15 class I free-swinging berths in depths of 40-50 ft. over holding ground of mud and sand. Alongside berthing is along 7235 ft. of principal wharfage, including 870 ft. not suitable for general cargo for a total of at least 40 berths of varying sizes.

Facilities include a minimum of 10 wharf cranes and at least 2 heavy coal conveyors. There are at least 272,000 square feet of covered storage, plus extensive open space for storage of Coal, ore and grain. A minimum of 5 POL storage tanks are within the port complex, plus an additional 13 tanks with a capacity of 55,000 barrels at a glass factory 2 miles W of the port.

Port access is provided by 2 roads: one connects to the west coast highway. The other runs 33 miles NE to P'yongyang. Six standard gage rail spurs also clear the port; these spurs join with two tracks at the N'ampo station. One of the tracks terminates 20 miles to the NW. The other runs NE to P'yongyang. The Taedong-gang river provides access upriver to P'yongyang. Oceangoing vessels can navigate a further 19 miles upriver, while small craft can navigate up to 155 miles upstream from the port.

The Nampho Shipyard is the major yard on the west coast. After new dry dock will be finished, it will construct vessels of up to 50.000 tons. It contains at least 7 building ways (the largest being 500 ft. long) and at least one graving dock. Nampho Shipyard East builds and repairs fishing craft and small warships of up to 150 tons displacement.

Naval guard units and small patrol craft are based at Sok-to and Ch'o-do, 20 and 30 miles SW of the port, respectively.