UNODC supports Skylight demo training for Customs enforcement forces

Through the framework of cooperation with Vulcan Company, UNODC's GMCP has provided free Skylight technology to a number of UN member countries to assist in improving MDA information to monitor ships operating at sea. Skylight is currently used in over 40 countries.

From 2021, within the framework of the GMCP program, UNODC has begun to provide free Skylight tools to countries in the Asia-Pacific region, namely Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines (Indonesia has used this tool before UNODC introduced it to other countries).

Experts and customs officers participated in the training course. Photo: Thùy Linh

Skylight is a website that integrates Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals and satellite imagery to provide warnings and a complete picture of all types of vessels present in the area in real-time, helping marine information analysts detect and analyze vessels showing suspicious behavior.

Skylight uses signals from AIS and the ship's movement history as well as satellite images to predict vessels that have non-transparent encounters at sea related to various types of crimes.

Moreover, Skylight can be used independently to complement the existing surveillance systems of the Customs Marine Enforcement Fleet in Northern, Central and Southern regions by giving warnings from the system about the foreign vessels encroaching on areas of interest or marine protected areas in real-time, and update the direction of movement of all ships present in these areas.

Experts carefully guide how to use Skylight tool for customs forces. Photo: Thùy Linh

During the two days of training, the customs officers of the Customs Marine Enforcement Fleet in Northern, Central and Southern regions grasped the useful features of the Skylight tool to apply in practice. The training was student-centered and focused on practicing web-based operations and spending a lot of time on on-site practice in order to understand how to use the tool.

On the basis of organizing the training course, GMCP hoped that the understanding of the Skylight tool would actively support the customs enforcement forces of Customs authorities in performance and contribute to the improvement of the capacity of criminal prevention at sea by maritime law enforcement forces under Vietnam Customs.