Kpler strengthens vessel tracking with Airbus satellite detection

The agreement adds daily independent vessel detection to Kpler’s existing satellite and AIS network, creating a more powerful view of maritime activity.

Airbus, a global leader in aerospace and space technology, and Kpler, a leading provider of global trade intelligence, have signed a strategic agreement to deploy a daily vessel detection service.

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. 

Satellite detection becomes especially valuable when AIS signals alone cannot tell the whole story. AIS is mandated by the International Maritime Organization and remains the backbone of vessel reporting, visibility and safety across the shipping industry. It gives us far more than just position, including speed, course, draught and destination, and Kpler’s AIS network captures billions of these signals every day.

Satellite imagery adds a complementary layer to that. But a ship's signal can be manipulated for very different reasons: sometimes it's an area-wide disruption that affects every vessel nearby, and sometimes it's a single ship deliberately trying to hide. This agreement gives us an independent, satellite-based assessment to tell those situations apart, and to identify the vessels that are genuinely trying to stay hidden.

Jean-Charles Gordon, Vice President of Maritime & Logistics at Kpler, said:

"No single data source tells the whole story. 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.”

Together, Airbus and Kpler will give customers greater confidence in the vessel movements they monitor, and in the decisions they make.