And away we go…
The very first steps I take when solving image-based OSINT challenges is to get a good isolated version of the image. I was easily able to save this image by opening in a new tab. Once in full view, there are plenty of clues to get started. The big block letters on the side of the vessel appear to read “CG 125”, and signage on top of the red bricked building reads “Customs”. One more smaller visual clue immediately stood out, which is the small white sign taped to the railing behind the car. Though blurry, it is easy enough to make out that these are characters from an east Asian language.
I started by simply googling ‘“CG 125” ship’; the second result revealed the Wikimedia page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:CG_125_Lienchiang_(ship,_2008).
The second linked picture gives us a lot of information, and ultimately I was able to use it for an image comparison with the original twitter image.
When opened, the image description is displayed: 停泊基隆港西岸海關大樓前的海巡署巡防救難艦連江（CG 125）。
Here is a quick image comparison. The original tweeted image on the top, the Wikimedia image on the bottom.
There are many more similarities we can identify, such as the street lamps on the dock, the slatted barrier lining the seawall, or even the windows in the brick Customs building.
After feeling pretty comfortable that both the vessel and the port locations matched, I quickly used Google Translate to translate the image description: The sea paralyzer patrol rescue ship in the front of the Customs Customs Building in the West Coast of Kiraung (CG 125).
I studied the the Wikimedia image above a little harder, leading me to the writing on the white building to the left of the image: “YM Oceanic Culture & Art Museum”. This location/building was very easy to find with a quick search on Google Maps. https://goo.gl/maps/vH1Rk2ev7xuTGpUB6
As you can see in the screenshot above, the building is located in Keelung City, Taiwan. Luckily there were some street views available, so I decided to take a little stroll. Within two clicks, I found myself in the exact location of the original twitter image. I copied the longitude and latitude coordinates from the URL and submitted my answer of “25.1324101,121.7407282”
So who owns the vessel pictured?
Some light Googling corroborated information from the Wikimedia page; the name of the vessel is Lienchiang CG 125. The Wikipedia page for the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration states the vessel is used by the Taiwan Coast Guard as a Patrol/Cutter vessel, weighs 688 tones, and was built by Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company in 2008. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Guard_Administration_(Taiwan)
If you refer to the bottom picture of the image comparison I did above, you can also see that the lettering on the ship includes: “R.O.C. Coast Guard” (Republic of China).
A little more curiousness led me to the site https://Seawaves [dot] com, where I found some interesting port arrival dates. Using the Google dork: site:https://seawaves.com “lienchiang CG125” I was able to find internal PDF documents revealing schedules of vessels in port, including the arrival of Lienchiang CG 125 to Keelung on May 3, 2021. https://seawaves.com/wp-content/uploads/navcall-current-270.pdf . Note that the manipulation of the number portion of this URL easily leads to more pages of port schedules.
I also found a 2012 article from ‘Taiwan Toady’ news source stating:
In response to the Japanese action, the Cabinet-level ROC Coast Guard Administration said its regular missions protecting Taiwanese fishermen operating in waters near the Diaoyutais will continue. The CGA noted that it has arranged for two cutters, the 500-ton Lienchiang and 600-ton Hualien, to take part in a drill escorting fishing boats to the area Sept. 13. (THN)
https://taiwantoday.tw/print.php?unit=2&post=2593
And finally if you love images of Taiwan Coast Guard cutters and vessels, I found a twitter account of a photographer who shares awesome images, including this one of the Lienchiang CG 125 on May 6, 2016.
Overall this was an easier OSINT challenge, and a great beginner one to get your feet wet (see what I did there?). I am very happy to receive questions, comments or criticisms, especially if you’d like to share an alternative method. Feel free to reach out.
