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Trace Labs Challenge #13

Trace Labs Challenge #13

Hey everyone — Yeti here, back on the ice for Trace Labs Challenge #13.
This one is all about maritime OSINT, visual verification, and avoiding classic investigator traps.

We’re given a single image of a vessel at sea and asked to identify:

Objective

  • Vessel name
  • Flag state
  • Last reported port

Sounds simple — until it isn’t.

Tools Used

  • Google (reverse image search)
  • VesselFinder

Image:

First move: upload the image to Google Images.

We immediately see:

  • AI-generated summaries
  • News articles
  • Visual matches
  • A promising hit from VesselFinder

⚠️ Important OSINT note:

AI summaries are not evidence — they are starting points.

The VesselFinder result is the most actionable pivot, so we follow that lead.

Step 2: Pivot to VesselFinder

Clicking through to VesselFinder gives us structured maritime data:

  • Vessel details
  • Historical tracking
  • Image galleries
  • Port history

At first glance, everything looks straightforward — until we notice something dangerous.

Step 3: Spot the Deception (Name Confusion)

Looking closely at the image:

The side of the vessel appears to read “Ever Gifted”

That’s a problem.

Why?
Because Ever Gifted and Ever Given are two completely different ships.

This is exactly the kind of trap that causes:

  • False attribution
  • Incorrect reporting
  • OSINT failures in real investigations

Step 4: Visual Verification (Stern > Hull)

When dealing with ships, the stern (back of the vessel) is the most reliable place to verify identity.

here we have a lot of different pictures, but we must look at the back of the boat to verify the name of the vessel

Result:

  • The stern clearly shows EVER GIVEN
  • Not Ever Gifted

This confirms the vessel’s true identity.

Any easy mistake to make could be looking at a similar vessel, which is Ever Gifted

these are two very different vessels, but share the same picture for some reason

so we must double verify our information, we can't look solely based on images

Step 5: Confirm Vessel Details

Now that identity is confirmed, we verify the remaining attributes inside VesselFinder, not from random articles.

Verified information:

  • Vessel Name: Ever Given
  • Flag: Panama
  • Last Reported Port: Singapore

All three data points align across:

  • Tracking records
  • Port history
  • Image confirmation

Final Answer: Ever Given, Panama, Singapore

Why This Matters

This challenge highlights one of the most important OSINT principles:

Never trust a single indicator — especially names.

In maritime OSINT:

  • Ship names are reused
  • Hull markings can be misleading
  • Photos are often mislabeled
  • AI gets it wrong a lot

What saved this investigation?
- Visual verification
- Cross-referencing structured data
- Understanding where authoritative identifiers live

This same mindset applies to:

  • Aircraft tracking
  • Vehicle identification
  • Weapon systems
  • Infrastructure attribution

Final Thoughts from the Yeti

If two ships look similar — assume deception.
If the name is unclear — check the stern.
If the data conflicts — slow down.

OSINT isn’t about being fast.
It’s about being right.

Another vessel iced and identified.
Yeti out. 🐾❄️