The damaged container ship "Ever Given" in the Suez Canal on 26.03.2021. Source: 26/03/2021 by WorldView-2 © 2021 European Space Imaging
Since Tuesday, 23 March 2021, the 400-metre container ship "Ever Given" has been blocking the Suez Canal, one of the most important waterways in the world. Navigation on the canal had to be stopped. It is likely that the salvage operation will take even longer, with far-reaching consequences for the economy. According to the Federation of German Industries, international logistics turbulence is already noticeable. According to the report, central supply chains are in danger of coming to a standstill due to missing containers, delayed ships and a lack of transport capacity.
In the satellite image chips from 25.03.2021 and 26.03.2021, the damaged ship and waiting ships can be recognize in the Red Sea.
The damaged container ship "Ever Given" in the Suez Canal and surroundings on 25.03.2021. Source: 25/03/2021 by NewSat-16. Supplied by European Space Imaging © 2021 Satellogic
Waiting ships at the Suez Canal on 26.03.2021. Source: 26/03/2021 by WorldView-2 © 2021 European Space Imaging
Overview of AIS ship signals in the Suez Canal area. Source: www.vesselfinder.com, as of 26.03.2021, 15:30
As part of the “IntelliMar - Intelligent assistance and analysis systems for early detection and management of maritime hazardous situations” project financed by the German Ministry of the Interior, artificial intelligence methodologies are being developed at EOC together with AIRBUS DS, OFFIS and HUMATECTS to detect anomalies.
This approach was now applied during validation procedures to automate the detection of ships waiting in the Gulf of Suez based on satellite data from the Landsat-8 mission.
Over 160 waiting ships could be detected in the Gulf of Suez on March 27, 2021. Source: 27/03/2021 Landsat-8 © USGS