Collaboration on integrating satellite detection to daily track dark fleet

Dark vessel activity, AIS manipulation and GNSS interference can create significant gaps in the conventional maritime picture. Satellite detection becomes especially valuable when AIS signals alone cannot tell the whole story.

Airbus, an aerospace and space technology specialist, and global trade intelligence provider Kpler have signed a strategic agreement to deliver daily satellite vessel detection, providing customers with the ability to verify vessel movements independently of AIS.

The service will detect vessels independently of their AIS signal, whether they stop transmitting, spoofed their position, or had their positioning disrupted by GNSS interference.

Using Airbus’s SPOT Earth observation satellites, the service captures daily high-resolution imagery; at 1.5-metre resolution with a 60-kilometre swath, with advanced artificial intelligence, to detect vessels at sea and in port.

AIS is mandated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and remains the backbone of vessel reporting, visibility and safety across the shipping industry, with Kpler’s network capturing billions of these signals every day.

Satellite imagery adds a complementary layer, helping tell an area-wide disruption from deliberate evasion and identifying vessels that try to stay hidden.

Airbus’ SPOT satellites will provide daily high-resolution imagery, with advanced AI used to detect vessels both at sea and in port.

Together, these capabilities will provide a clearer and more reliable view of maritime activity, including vessels that may not be visible through AIS alone.

“No single data source tells the whole story”, said Jean-Charles Gordon, vice president of maritime & logistics at Kpler. “By combining AIS data with satellite imagery and other independent sources, we can give the maritime industry and governments a clearer, more complete and verifiable picture of what is happening at sea. When a vessel’s AIS signal disappears, this combined intelligence helps us distinguish between widespread signal disruptions and deliberate attempts by individual vessels to evade detection. That distinction is critical to ensuring transparency, strengthening maritime security and maintaining trust in global shipping.”