{"id":11782,"date":"2021-03-29T19:36:36","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T11:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/remote-sensing-companies-share-satellite-views-of-ship-stuck-in-suez-canal\/"},"modified":"2021-03-29T19:36:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T11:36:36","slug":"remote-sensing-companies-share-satellite-views-of-ship-stuck-in-suez-canal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/remote-sensing-companies-share-satellite-views-of-ship-stuck-in-suez-canal\/","title":{"rendered":"Remote sensing companies share satellite views of ship stuck in Suez Canal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Maxar\u2019s GeoEye 1 satellite took this picture of the Ever Given container ship in the Suez Canal at 11:52 a.m. local time in Egypt on Monday, March 29, as crews freed the vessel after six days blocking the Suez Canal. Credit: Satellite image \u00a92021 Maxar Technologies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Satellite remote sensing companies showcased their capabilities in recent days with regularly-updated overhead views of a 1,300-foot-long (400-meter) container ship blocking the Suez Canal in Egypt before salvage crews freed the vessel Monday.<\/p>\n

The satellite images showed tow boats, a dredging ship, and other vessels around the Ever Given container ship in recent days. Teams working around-the-clock finally dislodged the 220-ton ship Monday, six days after it ran aground in the Suez Canal during a journey from China to the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

The wedged ship blocked other ships from crossing through the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, a heavily-trafficked route for goods between Asia, Europe, and points beyond.<\/p>\n

Crews successfully refloated the Japanese-owned container ship Monday with help from a high spring tide, although it was not immediately clear how soon some 400 vessels delayed by the incident might be able to enter the canal.<\/p>\n

The giant container ship\u2019s six-day blockage fo the Suez Canal temporarily interrupted global trade. It also provided an opportunity for commercial satellite companies to share views from space of the unfolding crisis hundreds of miles below.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Maxar\u2019s WorldView 2 satellite took this picture of the Ever Given container ship in the Suez Canal at 11:49 a.m. local time in Egypt on Monday, March 29, as crews freed the vessel after six days blocking the Suez Canal. Credit: Satellite image \u00a92021 Maxar Technologies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Maxar, which owns Earth-imaging satellites acquired from DigitalGlobe, released daily images of the container ship. One of Maxar\u2019s newest images was captured by the GeoEye 1 satellite, one of the oldest spacecraft in the company\u2019s fleet.<\/p>\n

The GeoEye 1 image released Monday was taken at 11:52 a.m. local time in Egypt, showing the Ever Given had started moving after dredging ships \u2014 aided by an unusually high tide \u2014 successfully freed the ship.<\/p>\n

Built by General Dynamics, now part of Northrop Grumman, GeoEye 1 launched in 2008 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The spacecraft orbits Earth at an altitude of about 423 miles (680 kilometers), and its optical imager has a maximum resolution of about 16 inches (41 centimeters).<\/p>\n

Maxar\u2019s WorldView 2 satellite, which launched from Vandenberg in 2009 on another Delta 2 mission, caught a glimpse of the Ever Given container ship a few minutes before GeoEye 1.<\/p>\n

Manufactured by Ball Aerospace, WorldView 2 flies at an altitude of about 475 miles (765 kilometers), slightly higher than GeoEye 1. It\u2019s optical instrument has a resolution as good as 18 inches (46 centimeters).<\/p>\n

\"\"
A French Pl\u00e9iades Earth observation satellite captured this view of the Ever Given container ship March 25. Credit: Airbus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Airbus also released imagery from one of the Pl\u00e9iades high-resolution optical imaging satellites. The two Pl\u00e9iades satellites orbit around 435 miles (700 kilometers) above Earth, and were built in France by Airbus Defense and Space. The Pl\u00e9iades satellites launched from French Guiana on two Soyuz rockets in 2011 and 2012.<\/p>\n

The Pl\u00e9iades satellites collect imagery for the French military and civil government users. Airbus is responsible for selling Pl\u00e9iades satellite imagery to commercial customers, with a resolution of about 20 inches (50 centimeters).<\/p>\n

The San Francisco-based company Planet also released several views of the stuck container ship in the Suez Canal, including a video recorded by one fo the company\u2019s SkySat satellites as it flew overhead.<\/p>\n