In today’s maritime landscape, visibility is everything. Yet vast stretches of the world’s oceans remain unmonitored at night, during cloud cover, or when vessels deliberately disable their transponders. These so-called "ghost ships" navigate without broadcasting their position, leaving critical blind spots for maritime domain awareness. Capella Space's Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology is changing that. Operating day or night, through clouds, storms, or signal silence, Capella’s taskable constellation captures high-resolution imagery of vessel activity across the globe—delivering timely, reliable insight to maritime operators, analysts, and national security teams.
Why Tracking Ghost Ships Matters
Ghost ships—vessels operating without active AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals—represent a growing challenge to global maritime situational awareness. While some vessels may be legally exempt from AIS requirements, others disable signals to avoid detection while engaging in:
- Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing
- Oil theft or illicit fuel transfers
- Sanctions evasion and smuggling
- Maritime gray zone operations in contested areas
When AIS data goes dark, SAR becomes a vital tool for verifying vessel presence, understanding patterns of life, and building a more complete operational picture.
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SAR in Action: South China Sea
AOI: Mischief Reef
Located in the highly trafficked South China Sea, Mischief Reef has become an area of interest for maritime analysts due to frequent vessel presence and limited signal transparency. In January 2025, Capella captured a nighttime SAR image over Mischief Reef using Spotlight Wide mode. The image revealed detailed vessel signatures within the reef’s lagoon. While optical sensors would have struggled to capture clear imagery in such low-light, atmospheric conditions, Capella’s radar pierced through the darkness—delivering high-resolution visibility for enhanced situational awareness.
Use Case Impact: SAR imagery can help maritime stakeholders:
- Detect and monitor uncooperative or AIS-dark vessels
- Analyze vessel clustering patterns in sensitive zones
- Complement AIS and optical data for a multi-layered awareness picture
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SAR in Action: Gulf of Guinea
AOI: Bonny Offshore Terminal, Nigeria
The Gulf of Guinea is a critical region for global energy transport and maritime trade—and one that faces persistent challenges around maritime visibility. Oil theft, piracy, and unmonitored vessel traffic continue to raise operational and security concerns. Capella’s Spotlight Wide image of the Bonny Offshore Terminal, taken in the middle of the night, highlights multiple vessels operating off Nigeria’s coast. With no reliance on daylight or clear skies, Capella’s SAR provides a dependable layer of oversight in a region where traditional monitoring often falls short.
SAR imagery enables:
- Enhanced monitoring of high-value maritime infrastructure
- Detection of rendezvous points and potential bunkering zones
- Increased response readiness for maritime domain enforcement
Amplifying SAR with AI-Powered Analysis
In addition to delivering high-quality SAR data, Capella partners with a network of analytics providers who bring advanced AI and machine learning to maritime monitoring workflows.
For example, SATIM's OREC AI solution utilizes Capella data for the precise detection and classification of vessels in our SAR data. These tools enhance situational awareness by:
- Automating vessel detection across large swaths of open ocean
- Identifying object types and behavioral patterns
- Accelerating response timelines through data-driven prioritization
These analytics partnerships help transform SAR data into actionable intelligence, supporting a wide range of national security, law enforcement, and commercial missions.
Ghost ships don’t need to remain in the shadows. Capella’s SAR constellation brings persistent visibility to maritime regions where traditional systems fall short—from contested reefs to oil-rich coastlines.
Whether it's enhancing situational awareness, flagging suspicious activity, or supporting enforcement operations, Capella’s SAR technology delivers clarity, consistency, and confidence for decision-makers at sea.
Curious how Capella can support your mission? Connect with our team