'Investigating the Ocean' Webinar Series: 'How To Track Ships Like a Pro Using OSINT'

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This session dives into vessel tracking and maritime monitoring using open-source intelligence. Journalists will learn how ships move, how to follow them in real time, and how to detect suspicious behavior such as illegal fishing, transshipment, or AIS manipulation.

The session will also introduce satellite imagery and remote sensing tools to monitor ocean activity beyond what vessels report themselves.

Panelists

Fernanda Buffa, editor, Environmental Investigations, Pulitzer Center

Federico Acosta Rainis, Pulitzer Center's data editor

Davide Mancini, 2024 Ocean Reporting Fellow

Tools and Platforms

• MarineTraffic/VesselFinder/FleetMon: real-time vessel tracking
• Global Fishing Watch: fishing activity and behavior analysis
• Sentinel Hub/EO Browser: satellite imagery (free ESA data)
• Google Earth Pro: advanced satellite analysis
• SkyTruth Alerts: environmental and vessel monitoring
   

What Journalists Will Learn

• Understand how AIS, IMO numbers, and vessel identifiers work
• Track ships using platforms like MarineTraffic, VesselFinder, and Global Fishing Watch
• Identify red flags such as AIS gaps, spoofing, and unusual movement patterns
• Use satellite imagery to monitor areas where tracking data is absent or unreliable
• Combine multiple data sources to build evidence of illicit maritime activity

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