Global Maritime Intelligence Coverage
Throughout 2024, Theia's advanced detection systems maintained persistent surveillance across the world's most strategically critical maritime regions. By ingesting over 27 million km² of daily satellite imagery and fusing it with global AIS data and other data sources, our multi-source intelligence platform automatically tracked high-frequency maritime activities across major operational theaters—from the contested waters of the South China Sea to the vital corridors of the Arctic.
Each region presented unique challenges requiring sophisticated detection capabilities: sanctions evasion networks employing AIS manipulation in South American waters, complex territorial disputes involving dark vessel operations in Asian seas, strategic movements through Arctic routes, and critical chokepoint monitoring in Middle Eastern corridors. Theia's proprietary AI enabled near real-time threat detection, behavioral pattern analysis, and actionable maritime intelligence that transformed our understanding of global maritime security throughout the year.
The Story of GULFSTREAM
In February 2024, the unpowered barge GULFSTREAM capsized off Tobago's coast, triggering a catastrophic oil spill that devastated marine ecosystems across Trinidad and Tobago. The disaster prompted a national emergency declaration, with cleanup costs exceeding $30 million as volunteers and emergency responders battled to contain the spreading contamination.
Theia's multi-source detection capabilities automatically detected the tug SOLO CREED (IMO: 7505994) and the AIS-dark barge GULFSTREAM, which was carrying unsanctioned oil, anchored near sanctioned oil terminals off Barcelona, Venezuela, where they were imaged five times between January 26 and 30, 2024. They were detected AIS-light again on February 4, before the SOLO CREED turned its AIS off on February 5.
Theia's ability to detect tug and barge when AIS-dark meant that SynMax was the first commercial intelligence company to accurately track the GULFSTREAM's movements in the days leading up to the capsize and environmental catastrophe.
Venezuela Sanctions Evasion Networks
Following the non-renewal of General License 44 in April 2024, Venezuela's oil sector faced renewed U.S. sanctions restrictions. Despite maintaining crude production around 0.9 million barrels per day, the country increasingly relied on sophisticated evasion networks utilizing ship-to-ship transfers in territorial waters and "dark fleet" operations to obscure oil origins before reaching global markets.
Theia's comprehensive surveillance architecture became critical for penetrating these coordinated evasion schemes. The platform's proprietary AI analyzed vessel behavioral patterns to identify suspicious loitering activities, while synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and electro-optical (EO) imagery provided undeniable proof of clandestine transfers occurring beyond traditional monitoring reach. When vessels employed AIS manipulation or flag-hopping tactics, Theia's data-agnostic design maintained continuous tracking, ensuring that even the most sophisticated shadow fleet operations could not evade detection.
Baltic Submarine Tracking - NOVOROSSIYSK (Improved Kilo Class)
In late August 2024, Theia's automated vessel identification algorithms detected the submarine NOVOROSSIYSK during its strategic transit from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. Leveraging over 27 million km² of daily satellite coverage combined with AIS correlation analysis, the platform maintained persistent tracking of both the submarine's surface movements and accompanying escort formations throughout the complex multi-jurisdictional route.
Theia's data fusion architecture enabled comprehensive monitoring of this high-value target across European waters, automatically identifying dark vessels, including military vessels, while providing actionable intelligence on submarine deployment schedules and operational corridors critical for regional maritime security assessment.
Coordinated STS Operations Off Ceuta
On November 6, 2024, two Russian-origin tankers converged near Ceuta, Spain, for a sophisticated sanctions evasion operation. SAKARYA (IMO: 9524464), having departed Primorsk with crude oil on October 27, arrived at 10:41 UTC and deactivated its AIS. Simultaneously, ATILA (IMO: 9262754)—which had traveled from Malta—began spoofing its location at 12:50 UTC, creating a digital smokescreen for the impending transfer.
The art of spoofing involves vessels pretending to be one location while in reality operating elsewhere, transmitting false AIS signals to mask their true whereabouts during illegal activities.
Theia's dark vessel detection algorithms automatically detected this coordinated deception scheme, maintaining vessel tracking despite the electronic countermeasures. Satellite imagery analysis confirmed the STS transfer between SAKARYA and ATILA on November 7 at 11:18 UTC, with draft measurement calculations revealing SAKARYA's cargo load decreased from 14.8m to 9.4m—indicating crude oil transfer. The platform continued monitoring as ATILA conducted a second transfer with vessel CANKIRI (IMO: 9411331), demonstrating Theia's ability to penetrate complex multi-vessel coordination networks that traditional monitoring systems cannot effectively track.
Post-Transfer Vessel Dispersal
Following the Ceuta STS operations, the three vessels executed sophisticated dispersal patterns designed to fragment their operational signatures. SAKARYA completed its transit through Gibraltar on November 9, 2024, returning to Murmansk by November 21—only to begin a return journey three days later, with Theia's global tracking network detecting the vessel 71 km north of Skikda, Algeria by December 6.
ATILA's intercontinental route exemplified the extensive reach of modern sanctions circumvention operations. After transiting Gibraltar on November 12, the vessel sailed south along the North African coast, reaching Cape Town by November 30. Theia's persistent surveillance architecture maintained coverage throughout ATILA's passage around the Cape of Good Hope toward Asian markets, illustrating how coordinated transfer operations unlock access to previously restricted trade corridors and establish new supply chain pathways beyond traditional enforcement boundaries.
Russia's Dark LNG Fleet Operations
Following Ukraine's invasion, Russia initially deployed five conventional tankers—PIONEER (IMO: 9256602), ASYA ENERGY (IMO: 9216298), EVEREST ENERGY(IMO: 9243148), NEW ENERGY (IMO: 9324277), and MULAN (IMO: 9864837) —as the foundation of a dedicated shadow LNG fleet. These ordinary vessels, not adapted for winter Arctic conditions, operated under opaque ownership structures registered in non-sanctioning countries like the UAE and India, employing sophisticated AIS manipulation tactics while loading at the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 terminal.
Theia's spoofing detection suite successfully tracked how Russia-affiliated LNG vessels spoofed and loaded at the sanctioned Arctic-2 LNG export plant using unique deception methods. Russia's spoofing operations became increasingly sophisticated—while PIONEER displayed a highly symmetrical fake AIS signature that initially alerted industry experts due to its unrealistic geometrical track, ASYA ENERGY's spoofed patterns appeared much more realistic. Despite these elaborate evasion networks and record Russian LNG production in 2024, none of these sanctioned carriers were able to successfully sell their LNG cargo to any country.
MV TUTOR - Red Sea Maritime Crisis
On June 8, 2024, MV TUTOR (IMO: 9942627) transited the Suez Canal before going AIS-dark at 21:22 UTC—a defensive measure to conceal its location from regional threat actors. Despite these precautions, Houthi forces struck the Greek-owned bulk carrier with a drone on June 12, causing catastrophic flooding and forcing crew evacuation as the vessel began its fatal drift.
Theia's satellite surveillance network maintained continuous vessel tracking throughout MV TUTOR's four-day drift between June 13-17, with automated imagery analysis precisely documenting the vessel's final moments between 07:53 UTC on June 17 and 08:00 UTC on June 18. The platform's ability to monitor vessels regardless of AIS status proved critical for providing actionable intelligence on this maritime casualty, which represented the region's second major vessel loss in 2024 and further demonstrated the escalating risks facing commercial shipping in this strategic waterway.
RUBYMAR Environmental Disaster
On February 18, 2024, Houthi missiles struck the Belize-flagged cargo vessel RUBYMAR (IMO: 9138898) in the Red Sea, initiating a 12-day environmental crisis. The vessel, carrying 21,000 metric tonnes of ammonium phosphate sulphate fertilizer, remained afloat but critically damaged as its cargo and fuel began leaking into one of the world's most ecologically sensitive marine environments.
Theia's monitoring capabilities provided comprehensive surveillance of RUBYMAR's status throughout the extended sinking sequence, with satellite imagery analysis documenting its position despite being AIS dark, as it dragged its anchor. This information meant that SynMax was the first commercial intelligence company to hypothesize that the RUBYMAR was responsible for the cutting of four internet cables in the area. Eventually, Theia was able to locate the final sinking point of the vessel on March 2.
The platform's continuous coverage delivered critical intelligence on this environmental catastrophe—the first major ecological disaster of the 2024 Red Sea crisis—illustrating how maritime incidents in strategic corridors generate cascading environmental and economic impacts that extend far beyond the initial attack zone.
MSC ARIES Seizure & Detention
On April 13, 2024, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the Portuguese-flagged MSC ARIES (IMO: 9857169) in the Strait of Hormuz via helicopter-deployed commandos, citing AIS violations and failure to respond to Iranian maritime authorities. The container vessel, linked to Israeli interests through Zodiac Maritime and carrying $93.6 million in cargo, was forcibly diverted to Iranian territorial waters amid escalating regional tensions following the Damascus consulate incident.
Theia's real-time monitoring architecture maintained comprehensive coverage of MSC ARIES throughout the entire seizure operation—from the vessel's final legitimate AIS transmission through forced route diversion, subsequent cargo offloading activities, and ongoing detention within Iranian waters. The platform's ability to provide continuous intelligence on detained commercial assets proved critical for understanding this maritime domain seizure. While the 25 crew members secured release in May 2024, the vessel and cargo remain under Iranian control, illustrating how regional conflicts increasingly exploit maritime chokepoints to project geopolitical leverage against international shipping networks.
ANSHUN II - Multi-Source Tracking Operations
Between July 1 and August 7, 2024, the 21-year-old Panamanian-flagged crude oil tanker ANSHUN II (IMO: 9253117) conducted a sophisticated sanctions evasion operation across Malaysian and Singaporean waters. The 332-meter vessel, operating without coverage from major international P&I clubs, executed a complex sequence of AIS-light and dark ship-to-ship transfers designed to obscure cargo origins and destinations through deliberate signal manipulation and geographic repositioning.
Theia's multi-source fusion capabilities tracked ANSHUN II's complete operational cycle, beginning with an AIS-light STS transfer off Singapore on July 1, followed by a holding pattern 100 km northeast of Singapore where the vessel was imaged six times between July 3-16 while maintaining AIS-light status. The operation's sophistication became evident on July 30 when Theia's automatic spoofing module detected false AIS broadcasts, followed by identification of a dark STS transfer with another dark vessel 24 kilometers northeast of the falsely reported position on August 1. The sequence concluded with ANSHUN II's transition to Malacca City for a final AIS-light transfer, demonstrating how modern evasion networks combine traditional dark operations with advanced electronic deception tactics.
Chinese Amphibious Assault Capabilities
On December 1, 2024, the first of three Chinese-built Shuiqiao-Class Landing Platform Utility (LPU) barges departed Guangzhou Shipyard from Longxue Island, marking a significant advancement in China's amphibious warfare capabilities. These innovative self-propelled platforms vary by size and stabilization configuration: 4-legged (108m), 6-legged (128m), and 8-legged (185m) variants, each designed for different operational requirements and payload capacities.
Theia's automated surveillance architecture maintained comprehensive coverage of all three barges throughout December 2024 sea trials in the Wanshan Archipelago vicinity, with satellite imagery analysis documenting each platform's complete testing cycle. Intelligence correlation revealed three additional barges—one of each configuration—under construction at the Guangzhou facility and nearing operational readiness. The program's development trajectory traces back to a prototype barge first detected in September 2021, which remained dormant until relocating in March 2024, demonstrating China's systematic approach to developing these specialized amphibious platforms for potential strategic deployment scenarios.
Engaging Contested Waters - South China Sea Escalation
Throughout 2024, China dramatically escalated maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea, deploying increasingly aggressive China Coast Guard and maritime militia tactics against Philippine vessels. The violent June 17 confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal featured ramming maneuvers, high-pressure water cannons, and armed boarding operations that shattered previous operational boundaries in these contested waters.
While a July provisional arrangement temporarily de-escalated Second Thomas Shoal tensions, China's grey-zone operations intensified elsewhere—restricting Filipino access at Sabina and Scarborough Shoals, declaring new territorial baselines in November, and maintaining persistent patrols near Vietnamese and Malaysian-claimed features. Simultaneously, Vietnam accelerated island-building activities in the Spratlys, directly challenging China's land reclamation dominance.
Theia's monitoring capabilities proved essential in documenting these complex operations across the vast South China Sea theater. By establishing baseline maritime activity patterns, the platform automatically flagged deviations such as unusual loitering, unexpected course changes, and unauthorized zone entries that characterized sovereignty-challenging actions. This automated anomaly detection transformed surveillance data into actionable intelligence, providing objective documentation of territorial incursions and aggressive maneuvers in this strategically critical maritime domain.