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MHI's AIRIS AI can help identify covert ships, including illegal fishing vessels.

MHI's AIRIS AI can help identify covert ships, including illegal fishing vessels. Photo courtesy Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Mitsubishi’s New Satellite Tech Uses AI to Unmask ‘Dark Ships’ at Sea

Mike Schuler
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October 28, 2024

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is set to deploy an innovative satellite system that combines cutting-edge artificial intelligence with space technology to combat the growing threat of “dark ships” on the world’s oceans.

With an estimated 100,000 vessels navigating global waters daily, the challenge of monitoring illicit maritime activities has never been more pressing. “Dark ships,” vessels that deliberately disable their Automatic Identification System (AIS) to evade detection, pose significant risks to global security and economics.

While most vessels operate legitimately, a substantial number engage in covert activities—such as illegal fishing, smuggling, or piracy—and deliberately “go dark” to avoid detection.

Enter AIRIS (Artificial Intelligence Retraining In Space), MHI’s solution to this complex problem. Unlike traditional Earth-observation satellites that require time-consuming ground processing, AIRIS incorporates onboard AI-enabled processing, allowing for real-time identification of dark ships.

“When the camera scans the Earth’s surface, rather than automatically sending all that data back for processing, AIRIS deploys its AI to detect target objects — such as dark ships — and selects and transmits only data from the areas where those objects are located,” MHI explains.

By processing data in orbit and selectively transmitting only relevant information, MHI says AIRIS can drastically reduced response times and increase the ability to track evasive vessels.

The system’s capabilities sound impressive. AIRIS can continue tracking vessels even after they switch off their AIS mid-voyage, using advanced image analysis and matching techniques. Moreover, the AI models can be updated from Earth, ensuring continual improvement and adaptation to new evasion tactics.

The economic implications of this technology are significant. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing alone costs the global economy up to $23 billion annually.

The AIRIS system is scheduled to launch in fiscal year 2025 onboard JAXA’s RAISE-4 demonstration satellite as part of Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program.

Beyond maritime applications, MHI envisions AIRIS technology extending to track other evasive objects, such as aircraft or vehicles, marking a new era in global monitoring. For now, AIRIS represents a leap forward in maritime surveillance, giving authorities a powerful tool to monitor elusive vessels and mitigate illegal activities at sea.

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