#446 ZIM OPAL // Vessel Intelligence System

Intelligence Overview

ZIM OPAL · MMSI 477929700 · 🇭🇰 US · Primary Port: Baltimore

PERIOD: JAN–DEC 2024

⚠ INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT: ZIM OPAL ranks #446 of 69,461 monitored vessels with 37 anomalous detections across 7 months. Composite risk score: 0.9500 (CRITICAL). Active alert types: DARK_VESSEL, POSITION_JUMP, ZIGZAG.

Global Rank

#446

of 69,461 vessels

Composite Score

0.9500

CRITICAL

Total Detections

37

Months Active

7/12

Unique Ports

5

Dark Events

1

AIS blackout

Position Jumps

1

GPS spoofing

Max Jump

212km

Monthly Detection Volume

11
2

12
6

3
8

2024 MONTHLY DETECTIONS

Alert Type Distribution

ZIGZAG

14

DARK_VESSEL

1

POSITION_JUMP

1

Key Intelligence Findings

AIS Blackout Confirmed — 1 Event

Deliberate AIS transponder deactivation detected. Each event represents a period where ZIM OPAL was operating outside electronic surveillance. Consistent with covert cargo transfer or evasion operations.

GPS Spoofing — 1 Position Jumps

AIS coordinates fabricated at impossible locations. Maximum jump of 212 km confirms the AIS transmitter is broadcasting false positions. Systematic identity concealment is in progress.

Evasion Navigation — 14 Zigzag Events

Erratic course-over-ground patterns up to 130.1° std deviation, far exceeding the 50° anomaly threshold. Pattern consistent with surveillance evasion maneuvers.

Port Detection Summary

🇺🇸

Boston

5

avg 0.588

🇺🇸

Baltimore

3

avg 0.524

🇺🇸

Norfolk

3

avg 0.747

🇺🇸

New York

3

avg 0.693

🇺🇸

Oakland

2

avg 0.853

Monthly Alert Log — All Months

Month	Detections	Severity	Score	Nearest Port	Alert Types
March 2024	8	CRITICAL	0.9000	Baltimore	ZIGZAG
May 2024	1	MEDIUM	0.6546	Oakland	DARK_VESSEL
June 2024	9	HIGH	0.7748	Norfolk	ZIGZAG
August 2024	2	HIGH	0.8709	San Diego	POSITION_JUMP
September 2024	9	CRITICAL	0.9000	Norfolk	ZIGZAG
November 2024	2	CRITICAL	0.9500	Oakland	DARK_VESSEL; POSITION_JUMP
December 2024	6	HIGH	0.7953	Baltimore	ZIGZAG

Activity Map

Detection events plotted · Color-coded by alert type · Drag to pan · Scroll to zoom

● Speed Anomaly ● Position Jump ● Zigzag ● Dark Vessel ● Rendezvous

Threat Intelligence

Analytical confidence: HIGH · Multi-indicator assessment

Threat Indicators Matrix

Indicator	Status	Evidence	Confidence
AIS Blackout / Dark Vessel	CONFIRMED	1 events detected	CRITICAL
GPS Spoofing / Position Jump	CONFIRMED	1 jumps · max 211.7km	CRITICAL
Velocity Fraud / Speed Anomaly	NOT DETECTED	—	LOW
Evasion Navigation / Zigzag	CONFIRMED	14 events · max COG std 130.1°	HIGH
Ship-to-Ship Rendezvous	NOT DETECTED	—	LOW
Multi-Port Operations	CONFIRMED	5 unique ports	HIGH

Operational Profile

Primary AO

Baltimore and surrounding maritime zone

Active Period

7 months of continuous alert activity in 2024

Alert Density

37 detections across 16 individual events (avg 5.3/month)

Active Techniques

◐ DARK ⊕ POS JUMP ⟳ ZIGZAG

Threat Category

High-Confidence AIS Manipulation — Multiple confirmed evasion techniques

TTP Analysis

Tactics, Techniques & Procedures — Maritime ATT&CK Framework

MAR-T003

RTE-ANO-005

Evasion Navigation

Erratic COG changes exceeding 50° threshold (max 130.1°). Consistent with surveillance evasion or at-anchor AIS manipulation. Count: 14 events.

HIGH CONFIDENCE
14 events

MAR-T004

AIS-MAN-001

AIS Blackout

Deliberate AIS transponder deactivation to create surveillance gaps. Count: 1 events. Each event represents an unmonitored operational window.

HIGH CONFIDENCE
1 events

MAR-T002

AIS-MAN-003

GPS Spoofing

GPS coordinate spoofing — AIS positions fabricated at impossible locations. Max jump: 211.7km. Implies deliberate identity concealment. Count: 1 events.

HIGH CONFIDENCE
1 events

Risk Analysis

Composite risk scoring · Weighted indicator model · Quantus v2.4

Composite Score

0.9500

CRITICAL

Avg Detection Score

0.8351

Global Rank

#446

of 69,461 vessels

Weighted Indicator Scoring

Formula: (Dark×3) + (Rendezvous×4) + (PosJump×2) + (Speed×1) + (Zigzag×0.5) + (MaxScore×50)

Indicator	Count	Weight	Contribution
DARK_VESSEL	1	×3	3.0
RENDEZVOUS	0	×4	0.0
POSITION_JUMP	1	×2	2.0
SPEED_ANOMALY	0	×1	0.0
ZIGZAG	14	×0.5	7.0
MaxSingleScore	0.9500	×50	47.5
COMPOSITE TOTAL	Normalized [0,1]		0.9500 CRITICAL

⊕ Position Jump Detections

Indicator: AIS-MAN-003 · 1 events · Max jump: 212 km

GPS SPOOFING

Position jumps confirm GPS coordinate spoofing — AIS positions fabricated at impossible locations. ZIM OPAL has 1 confirmed position jumps with maximum displacement of 212 km.

Total Events

1

Max Jump Distance

212 km

Indicator ID

AIS-MAN-003

Position Jump Events (Top 50 by distance)

Date	Jump (km)	Implied Speed (kn)	Score	Severity	Spoofed-To Port	Coordinates

⟳ Zigzag / Erratic Navigation

Indicator: RTE-ANO-005 · 14 events · Max COG std: 130.1°

EVASION PATTERN

Zigzag events are triggered when course-over-ground (COG) standard deviation exceeds 50°. ZIM OPAL records COG deviations up to 130.1° — consistent with surveillance evasion maneuvers or at-anchor AIS noise manipulation.

Total Events

14

Max COG Std Dev

130.1°

Threshold

50°

Zigzag Events (Top 50 by COG deviation)

Date	COG Std Dev (°)	Score	Severity	Port	Coordinates

◐ Dark Vessel Events

Indicator: AIS-MAN-001 · 1 AIS blackout events detected

AIS BLACKOUT

⚠ HIGH SIGNIFICANCE: Dark vessel events represent deliberate AIS transponder deactivation — a primary indicator of intentional surveillance evasion, covert cargo transfer, or sanctions circumvention.

Dark Vessel Events

1

Indicator

AIS-MAN-001

Risk Level

CRITICAL

◐ DARK EVENT #1 — 2024-11-05T07:42:46

AIS BLACKOUT

Location

32.1001°N, 135.5092°W — Oakland

AIS Gap Duration

16.3 hours

Pre-Blackout Speed

18.7 knots SOG

Displacement

734.4 NM from port during gap

Score

0.9500 · HIGH

Assessment

AIS gap consistent with deliberate concealment.

Port History

5 distinct port areas · US primary flag state

Complete Port Detection Summary

Port	Country	Detections	Avg Score	Avg Dist NM	Risk
Boston	🇺🇸	5	0.5881	31.7	STANDARD
Baltimore	🇺🇸	3	0.5237	2.4	STANDARD
Norfolk	🇺🇸	3	0.7469	22.3	STANDARD
New York	🇺🇸	3	0.6927	5.2	STANDARD
Oakland	🇺🇸	2	0.8529	741.6	STANDARD

🇺🇸 Boston — Port Profile

5 detections · Avg score 0.5881 · Avg distance 31.7 NM

LOW RISK

Total Detections

5

Primary port of operation

Avg Alert Score

0.5881

Avg Distance NM

31.7

Port proximity zone

Detection Types at Boston

ZIGZAG

5

Coordinates: 42.358°N, 71.051°W

Port Intelligence Notes

Port Country

🇺🇸 US

Risk Classification

LOW — Standard port monitoring applies

Detection Share

5 of 16 total detections (31.2%)

Avg Distance from Port

31.7 NM — consistent with port proximity operations

🇺🇸 Baltimore — Port Profile

3 detections · Avg score 0.5237 · Avg distance 2.4 NM

LOW RISK

Total Detections

3

Secondary port

Avg Alert Score

0.5237

Avg Distance NM

2.4

Port proximity zone

Detection Types at Baltimore

ZIGZAG

3

Coordinates: 39.290°N, 76.615°W

Port Intelligence Notes

Port Country

🇺🇸 US

Risk Classification

LOW — Standard port monitoring applies

Detection Share

3 of 16 total detections (18.8%)

Avg Distance from Port

2.4 NM — consistent with port proximity operations

🇺🇸 Norfolk — Port Profile

3 detections · Avg score 0.7469 · Avg distance 22.3 NM

LOW RISK

Total Detections

3

Secondary port

Avg Alert Score

0.7469

Avg Distance NM

22.3

Port proximity zone

Detection Types at Norfolk

ZIGZAG

3

Coordinates: 36.847°N, 76.293°W

Port Intelligence Notes

Port Country

🇺🇸 US

Risk Classification

LOW — Standard port monitoring applies

Detection Share

3 of 16 total detections (18.8%)

Avg Distance from Port

22.3 NM — consistent with port proximity operations

🇺🇸 New York — Port Profile

3 detections · Avg score 0.6927 · Avg distance 5.2 NM

LOW RISK

Total Detections

3

Secondary port

Avg Alert Score

0.6927

Avg Distance NM

5.2

Port proximity zone

Detection Types at New York

ZIGZAG

3

Coordinates: 40.661°N, 74.044°W

Port Intelligence Notes

Port Country

🇺🇸 US

Risk Classification

LOW — Standard port monitoring applies

Detection Share

3 of 16 total detections (18.8%)

Avg Distance from Port

5.2 NM — consistent with port proximity operations

🇺🇸 Oakland — Port Profile

2 detections · Avg score 0.8529 · Avg distance 741.6 NM

LOW RISK

Total Detections

2

Secondary port

Avg Alert Score

0.8529

Avg Distance NM

741.6

Possible spoofed coords

Detection Types at Oakland

DARK_VESSEL

1

POSITION_JUMP

1

Coordinates: 37.804°N, 122.271°W

Port Intelligence Notes

Port Country

🇺🇸 US

Risk Classification

LOW — Standard port monitoring applies

Detection Share

2 of 16 total detections (12.5%)

Avg Distance from Port

741.6 NM — anomalously high, suggests spoofed coordinates

Ownership Intelligence

MMSI registry · Flag state analysis · Beneficial ownership investigation

Vessel Name

ZIM OPAL

MMSI

477929700

Flag State (MMSI-derived)

🇭🇰 US

MID Code

477 → 🇭🇰 US

Primary Port

Baltimore

Detection Period

7 months (2024)

Registered Owner

Pending registry lookup

Beneficial Owner

Requires FinCEN CDD query

OFAC SDN Status

Pending cross-reference

Recommended Action

Physical inspection + full registry query

Vessel Type Analysis

AIS declared type · Physical capability vs. observed behavior

Type Mismatch Assessment

AIS Declared Type

vessel_type=37 (Pleasure Craft)

Behavior Consistency

Requires investigation

Speed Capability

Within or near physical limits for vessel type

Inspection Priority

HIGH — Recommend USCG/CBSA physical boarding and documentation review

Applicable Statutes

47 C.F.R. § 80.953 (AIS falsification) · 33 C.F.R. § 164.46 (AIS carriage) · 21 U.S.C. § 955 (maritime drug law)