As a beginner in OSINT, I want to share how easy it is to get excited about Maritime OSINT.
My interest in maritime is especially focused on financial economic crime and the military. This likely stems from my work as a FEC-analyst (Financial Economic Crime) and the fact that my family is, or used to be, active in the military.
I love reading articles by Bellingcat, for example, about the construction of a Russian naval base. The article stated that a Russian naval base would be built, but as Google Earth shows, they are already constructing it. Bellingcat analyzed the satellite imagery. By trying to understand how Bellingcat reached its conclusion, you can learn a great deal about techniques and tools.
Personally, I love navigating through naval bases around the world on Google Earth. Sometimes you can even spot submarines, like in this picture (see the blue outlines) from the harbor in Den Helder, The Netherlands, where submarines are stationed.
Tip: If you click on the “clock symbol” in Google Earth, you can go back in time to see how the area has changed over time.
As a beginner in OSINT with an interest in maritime, I’ve made many connections on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X over the past few months to gain knowledge about maritime subjects. This way, I can follow many people and companies with various maritime backgrounds. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other interesting topics related to these subjects.
OSINT isn’t just about collecting data, but as a beginner, I think it’s valuable to understand what you can find if you eventually master these tools and the insights that come with them.
Link to the Bellingcat article: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2024/07/30/construction-accelerates-at-planned-russian-navy-base-in-disputed-abkhazia/
