FISHING NOT PHISHING vessel tracking via AIS

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flag TFCCTF{264900119_constanta_21.09.2023_07:17_AM_15.6}

Overview

A cropped photograph of a vessel. Recover its , its departure port, the date and UTC time it started fishing, and the port-to-fishing-ground distance. The challenge ran in September 2026 and says "three years ago, during this same month", so the window is September 2023.

The cropped challenge photo: a partial name board on the bow, blue hull, white superstructure, blue external stairway

The only handholds are the partial lettering on the bow and the hull profile.

Identifying the vessel

A reverse image search points to the Romanian research trawler STEAUA DE MARE 1. Other photos confirm it on distinctive features: dark-blue hull with white superstructure, five wheelhouse windows, a blue external stairway, yellow deck cranes, matching porthole layout. The ShipSpotting entry gives:

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Name: STEAUA DE MARE 1
IMO:  8008709
MMSI: 264900119

Reconstructing the voyage

Search MMSI 264900119 on Global Fishing Watch and filter to September 2023. There is one voyage: departure from Constanta, Romania on 21 September 2023. The first fishing event on that voyage:

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start:        2023-09-21T07:17:06Z
event marker: 44.0637, 28.9227

Constanta port-visit marker: 44.1101, 28.7383.

Pitfall

The first fishing event overlaps the tail of Global Fishing Watch's wide port-visit window for Constanta. Skip it as "still in port" and you take the next event instead, which gives the wrong time of 01:13 PM. The correct answer is the earlier 07:17.

Distance

Great-circle distance between the two markers by the formula, Earth radius 6371 km:

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Constanta port:  44.1101, 28.7383
Fishing marker:  44.0637, 28.9227
distance:        15.6056 km  ->  15.6

The timestamp is already UTC; 07:17 in 12-hour form is 07:17 AM.

Flag

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TFCCTF{264900119_constanta_21.09.2023_07:17_AM_15.6}