Nigeria has teamed up with French data company Kpler to combat "dark" tankers driving the oil-smuggling black economy.
Deep in the delta, pipelines are tapped by thieves and fuel eventually makes its way from small boats on to tankers for export.
The country's department of petroleum resources (DPR) has signed a contract with Kpler to help eradicate the scourge.
Reuters reported that Kpler can zero in on suspicious ships away from main channels, and can even detect spills and illegal forest clearance - both signs of smuggling.
It uses satellite data and its own software.
"In some ways, we're the CCTV of what's going on in Nigerian waters," Kpler executive Antoine Pillet said.
"We provide the data, but don't really give opinions on what may be going on."
Kpler works 24 hours a day, logging erratic journeys and changes to vessel drafts.
Chatham House has said Nigeria loses between $3bn and $8bn a year in revenue due to smuggling.
