MariTrace secures vessel tracking partnership in high-risk waters

The collaboration includes the deployment of MariTrace’s Mercury encrypted tracking system across ten of Strickland’s logistics support vessels. Strickland, with over two decades of operational experience in the Gulf of Guinea and other high-risk maritime domains, delivers critical security services to energy majors including Shell, ExxonMobil and Total.

Operating primarily from Port Harcourt and Lagos, Strickland’s fleet is routinely tasked with escorting assets, securing offshore installations and conducting subsea logistics in some of the world’s most volatile maritime corridors.

To ensure uninterrupted vessel visibility, particularly in AIS-compromised environments, MariTrace has equipped Strickland’s vessels with Mercury – a compact, self-contained tracking device engineered to maintain positional integrity even during AIS suppression, signal loss or deliberate blackouts. The Mercury system operates autonomously when AIS or satellite connectivity is unavailable, caching encrypted location data onboard and automatically synchronising with the MariTrace platform once communications are re-established.

Mercury, launched by MariTrace in early 2024, interfaces directly with standard onboard navigation and communication systems via NMEA 0183/2000. It provides positional updates at one-minute intervals as default, with dynamic adjustment capability based on situational requirements. The platform offers secure access for authorised users – including fleet managers, insurers and command centres – via the MariTrace interface or API integration.

All AIS data detected by each host vessel is rendered directly within the MariTrace user environment, enabling operators to observe the host’s position in relation to nearby AIS-emitting targets, even in areas where public AIS visibility is limited or intentionally obfuscated. This feature enhances real-time domain awareness, contributing to improved risk mitigation and response coordination.

Strickland’s ICT Coordinator, Temidayo Amure, confirmed that Mercury met stringent operational and technical requirements for encrypted, persistent tracking. “Safety, security and visibility are fundamental to our operations. Our vessels routinely operate in piracy-prone waters, and uninterrupted tracking is essential for client assurance. Mercury gives us precisely that – encrypted real-time visibility even in AIS blind zones.”

Mercury also facilitates collaborative tracking across multiple MariTrace users. When supporting third-party vessels also integrated into the platform, Strickland can permit visibility of Mercury-generated positions to partner operators, creating a unified situational awareness framework for joint operations.

Beyond live tracking, the MariTrace platform offers an extensive suite of analytical and intelligence tools. These include route risk modelling, geofencing alerts, incident monitoring feeds and access to over a decade of historical vessel movement data, enhancing regulatory compliance, operational continuity and incident response preparedness.

Thomas Owen, CEO of MariTrace, emphasised the strategic importance of the partnership: “Strickland Services operate in maritime theatres where AIS and legacy tracking systems frequently underperform. Mercury ensures real-time situational clarity, secure positional continuity and fleet-wide oversight under all operational conditions. This deployment marks a new standard in tactical vessel monitoring in complex maritime environments.”

With piracy, smuggling and regional instability continuing to challenge vessel security off West Africa and other maritime regions, the MariTrace–Strickland integration reflects a broader industry trend towards encrypted, non-reliant tracking infrastructure. Mercury’s implementation provides critical telemetry resilience for support fleets safeguarding high-value offshore energy infrastructure in the world’s most contested waters.