We present you a unique map with which you can find the location of any ship in the world's oceans, as well as determine the direction of its movement.

The technology behind the map relies on a network of satellites capable of receiving encrypted Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals. This system was developed specifically for civil navigation and is an encrypted signal transmitted by the ship into orbit. The signal contains basic information not only about the direction of the vessel, but also key data about it - name, type, speed, cargo, port of destination, etc. Information received by satellites is transmitted to the ground, where it is automatically processed.

The result of such processing was embodied in an interactive map of the movement of ships, which can be seen below.

Interactive map of the movement of ships

Search for a ship by its name

A legend is attached to the map, thanks to which you can determine the type of ship that is being monitored. Similar data can be obtained by clicking on its icon on the map. You can watch the movement of ships both in satellite mode and in real picture overlay mode. In addition, knowing the name of the ship, you can find it on the map. To do this, enter the name in the appropriate field in English. If everything is done correctly, then the map itself will be centered on the selected ship.
Video instruction for finding ships on the map

Map update

Almost all data shown on the map is updated in real time. At the same time, it is worth remembering that the speed of movement of the ship in the open sea is relatively low, so if it seems that the ship is not moving, then it may be worth just waiting. However, the reason for the "freezing" of the ship may be not only this - the AIS satellite network still has "white spots" in the world's oceans, into which ships periodically fall. In this case, you just need to wait until the ship can contact the satellites again - its location will be updated.

In the near future we should expect improvement of this system - the leading maritime powers are constantly improving it in order to constantly monitor the location of ships.

Looking for one of the world's best ship tracking services? Well, then you are on the right page. We will tell you about the Marine Traffic app, which will provide you with real-time information about ships, their location, movement, ports, place of production, size, cargo capacity, International Maritime Organization (IMO) number and more. In short, the Marine Traffic service has grown out of a collective project engaged in scientific cooperation with world scientists. It is also worth mentioning that marine traffic allows users to upload photos and even rate pictures taken by other members. This contributes to the further development of existing information and communication technologies. The service never stops collecting and providing data that can be useful for maritime telecommunications.

marinetraffic. What opportunities does it provide?

You can use Marine Traffic for free or upgrade it to a premium version that will expand its capabilities and functionality. Marine traffic uses the Automatic Identification System (AIS). It is widely used in the maritime environment for the exchange of navigational information between terminals equipped with AIS. Thanks to this, static and dynamic information about the vessel can be automatically transmitted between AIS stations, regardless of where they are, allowing you to track departures and arrivals at ports.

If you want to receive timely information about various events on the ship or in the port, you can set up sending e-mails, SMS or push notifications, depending on what is convenient for you. Basic information can be accessed in the free version, but the information in the premium version will be much broader. AIS satellite tracking provides much more global coverage. If you want to know more specific information about the ship, such as its class, dimensions, engine power, design, and even the owner, all this will be available in the extended subscription. Finally, you will have access to historical data with millions of archived positions and the ability to export this data from the website. All this will become possible with a more advanced or premium subscription.

This video will tell you how to use Marine Traffic!

Introduction to AIS and how it works with Marinetraffic

Because Marine Traffic is a collaborative project, the information on this website comes from thousands of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) located in over 140 countries around the world. Continuous collection and processing of data transmitted through the AIS is carried out, and the receiving stations then collect them and transfer them to a central database. The exchange of information is greatly facilitated by transmitting useful vessel data such as a unique identification number, heading, current position, speed, and many others. Thanks to this system, it is possible to collect extensive data and track the position of ships in real time in thousands of ports.

There is a systematic process included in the AIS principle. It starts with the integration of receiving stations into a single network, which allows the collection of data from various suitable sources. After that, they go to the central database. Any vessel with the appropriate equipment can transmit the required data, which is recorded by the AIS receivers within the allowable range. A typical AIS range can be about 15-20 nautical miles if the external antenna is about 15 meters above sea level. If stations are located at a significantly higher level, the range can be increased to 40–60 nautical miles, but this is still dependent on various factors such as altitude, obstacles around the antenna, antenna type, and even weather conditions. The most significant among these factors is precisely the height of the antenna. It is recommended to place it as high as possible to get the best data and results.

The collected data is encoded and decoded in a unique way and classified as dynamic, static and specific. Data marked as dynamic consists of the ship's position, current position, speed, heading, and rate of turn. The statistics are many specific details such as vessel name, International Maritime Organization (IMO) number, Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) and dimensions. Finally, voyage-specific information contains the vessel's destination, estimated time of arrival, and draft.

Marine Traffic Real Time Map and Its Functions

All AIS data is continuously received, encoded and decoded. The most important data is stored, such as geographic information about ports and territories, as well as images of ships that can be found on the site. Users can see this information on a real-time online map. The real time map is a place where users can directly track any vessel around the globe. It has an auto-update function to quickly provide information about the position of any vessel. You can also zoom out to get general review world traffic, or increase it to get more specific information on the area of ​​interest to you.

You will notice that ships are displayed with colored icons. Each icon corresponds to the actual type of vessel. These may be cargo ships, tankers, passenger ships, high speed craft, fishing boats, pleasure boats, navigational aids or unknown vessels. In addition, other maritime-related information such as ports, marinas, lighthouses or even navigational equipment can be displayed. On the left side of the real-time map, you can find a toolbar that will allow you to easily and efficiently perform the necessary actions and filter information.

The real-time map is provided on the site, it is convenient to use, navigate and navigate. You can customize it the way you like. It contains several layers such as Simple, Standard, Satellite and Open. Don't worry, you can easily find your way around the map, even if you've never used it. We will help you deal with ship tracking. If you want to find a specific vessel and you know its name, you can do it directly in the map search. A drop-down list will then appear showing you the areas you're looking for, making it quick and easy to find what you're looking for. As you can see, it includes various types of ships.

Guide to using available filters in Marine Traffic

You have the option to update the real-time map if you wish. By switching to a much improved real-time map, you will be able to access more layers and advanced filter functions. You can also set up different categories based on your interests. Now you can get very detailed information about the type of vessel or even filter its characteristics such as capacity, year of construction, total length and flag, as well as adding or removing ships.

You can play around with any of the features and customize filters based on the information you need. If you want more specific information, you can choose to display only ships bound for or already on their way to a specific port, or filter ships by last tracked position. As mentioned, more layers can be unlocked by switching to the advanced real-time map, such as the Emission Control Areas (ECA) layer and the daylight layer.

The ECA zone layer gives you visual information about the ship's proximity to any emission control areas, and the daylight layers show you where the sunlight is at any given moment. As a reminder, the real-time map is updated automatically every minute to reflect the latest data. For more customization, you can select the ship icons you want to see on the real-time map. In addition, you will also find filters related to ports, marinas/small ports, stations, lighthouses, navigation equipment and even photos. Don't worry, all features can be adjusted. You can simply turn them off or remove parts you don't need.

If you click on any port or even navigation equipment, a pop-up window will appear with more information about the object, you can click the "details" button to see the collected data. After that, a new tab will open that will show you information about the navigation equipment and provide you with the required port details: country, flag, latitude, longitude, local time, and more.

Various options for using MarineTraffic - free of charge or with a surcharge for more extensive data

You can access some data for free, such as real-time vessel tracking, but more detailed data requires payment.

While in free mode, you can search for ships and ports, or go to a specific area and even find out its location. As for the available filters, they allow the user to filter by vessel type, ports, small ports, stations, lighthouses, navigation equipment, find out the vessel's intended course, and even select the desired area. In addition to these features, you can also see the main wind flags and the temperature at the specified point in time.

If you use the service to track the transportation of goods for professional purposes, choose the paid option. You can be sure that extensive information about a particular vessel will be available to you. You will be free to apply filters that suit your needs, such as capacity, workload, destination, and even current status. With a paid subscription, more map layers will be unlocked, such as ECA, daylight and time zone, as well as the ability to put custom ship icons. We remind you that the service has an automatic update function and a full-screen mode that allows you to receive promptly updated information in real time.

In addition, you can also access the ship's position and weather information, including about 22 layers of key weather data. That is, you can find out the weather forecast in a bright graphic design. In addition, you will be able to get an accurate overview of possible dangers and delay factors. By knowing weather conditions and forecasts, you can ensure the safety of the ship and crew, as well as change routes and optimize routes.

More detailed flight data is also available to users. The data that is included in this section, as well as special tools, reveal information about the last voyage and position of the vessel within the previous 30 days, the real-time situation and the port of departure, the current speed and even the estimated arrival at the port of destination, the ship's workload, the current status. As you notice, you can access extensive and detailed information. You can also check a particular vessel's past voyage and position data for the previous year.

Another feature is that the service allows you to access graphs of port congestion, its weekly activity, not only for the last three months, but also for a year. Knowing this will allow you to identify increasing port congestion, market trends, assess the performance of a port in terms of waiting time, and make a prediction about how quickly a ship will be served at a given port.

You can also see the world if you like. To be honest, you will be able to see the latest satellite positions and even keep an eye on the world's fleet.

After registering on the site, you can try each subscription option for free to see which one is right for you. When registering, you will create a personal account which will take you no more than a minute. This will help you get the most out of the platform.

As a new user, you will see the login screen. Click on the register button and register using your email address or your social media account such as Linked In. After completing the standard steps, you will be prompted to fill out a registration form about yourself and create a password. Once you are done with this, you will receive confirmation by e-mail to the address you provided.

Who uses Marine Traffic?

People use marine traffic for personal or business purposes. The majority of ship tracking service users are ship spotters, ship lovers and crew members.

Commercial premium subscriptions are used by many companies around the world: non-state media, manufacturers, merchants and the government. The service contains a wide range of data, making it an ideal research tool. In a broader perspective, the data collected here can help a person understand global supply and demand trends, analyze competitors and markets.

Professionals in the shipping industry use the service to monitor not only their own ships, but the world's fleet.

We cannot predict when emergency, but response teams will be able to get reliable information here operational information about current emergencies.

What vessel information is visible in MarineTraffic?

With the perfect ship tracking service, you can see a detailed history of each voyage, traffic density analysis, and even a video simulation of the ship's movement. Don't worry, it's easy and convenient to use. You can view the time in UTC format, as well as always see the name of the vessel or remove it - it all depends on your preference. The service contains information about more than 4,000 ports around the world, including their description, information about arrival and departure, as well as about ships nearby. You can track certain types of ships on the map: cargo ships, tankers, sailing ships and yachts, passenger and cruise ships, high-speed boats, fishing boats, warships and other vessels or support vehicles.

The user can search for ships by name, identification number Maritime Mobile Service (MMSI) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) number. The database contains approximately 150,000 detailed information, which is displayed in a pop-up table every time you click on a ship of interest. The image and name of the ship are available along with its IMO, MMSI, type, destination, last port call, position, track and history.

There are services that provide information about ships online in real time on the map. These services are an indispensable tool for the charterer, who needs to know the approximate time of the vessel's arrival at the designated port for loading or unloading. Some contracts state that the delivery of cargo must be carried out within a certain period of time and the vessel does not have the right to enter ports for its own needs and take on passing cargo. It follows from this that if the ship deviates from the course, the contract may be terminated.

MarineTraffic - an online service for tracking the path of ships

The site provides information about the location of ships online. This is a world map with ship icons of different colors. Each color indicates type, speed, control method and other information.

Around the map there are icons and icons for management and customization. On the left side of the menu are buttons for setting up the map, such as: layers, filter, traffic density maps, weather, and others. Here you can find a ship by name by entering information in a special field. When you click on one of the ships on the map, information appears in the window about:

• The name of the ship.
• The speed at which the ship is moving.
• Well. Where and where to go.
• Status.
• Type of ship (passenger, tanker, etc.)

When you click on the name of the vessel already in the window that opens, a more complete page opens with detailed information about the ship in real time.

How to find a ship by name online on MarineTraffic

If you have some information about the ship you are interested in, then finding it will be easy. Necessary:

1. Go to the site - https://www.marinetraffic.com/ru/.
2. In the top right box called "Ship/Port", enter your information.
3. In the window that appears, you need to click on the name of the vessel or port for detailed information.

By visiting the site, you will notice that the information is provided in English. It can be changed by going down to the bottom of the page and clicking on the “Language” item. Select Russian from the drop down menu.

The online ship map is updated in real time, but you need to know that the movement of ships across the ocean is relatively small. The reason for the "freezing" of the ship may also be related to the system itself, because it is not perfect and has flaws. Although it is improved from time to time, there are still areas of the ocean in which the signal disappears. In this case, you must wait for the signal to continue tracking the vessel.

Principles of operation of the AIS system

Today, for the purpose of ensuring safety, all ships have an AIS identification system on board. It reports the location of a particular ship in the ocean and does not allow a collision. The distance at which the ship can move away from the ground receiver is almost 400 km. The terrestrial receiving system must be above sea level, and the ship's system must have a strong signal and high-quality antenna. In this case, visitors can use the services of the service.

Seatracker.ru - providing information about the location of ships online

Seatracker is a portal for seafarers that provides news and various files, mainly on the nautical topic.

By clicking on the link in the top menu "Ais" we get to the political map of the world, which also contains icons of ships painted in different colors, depending on the type and purpose. The map menu on the service is a simplified version of the MarineTraffic service. Here, on the left in the menu there are only 3 buttons - search, filter and layers. On the right, there are 2 buttons that control the reduction or enlargement of the minimap. Above the map there is a search box for a ship or port by name.

Color designations of ships on the map of online services

Online ocean charts have the same color codes for the two listed services.

How to use the real-time ship map on Seatracker

1. On the site https://seatracker.ru/ follow the link at the top "Ais".
2. On the map page, you can use the search and enter the name of the vessel.
3. For convenience, there is a “Filter” button on the left in the menu, using it you can select a vessel by color.
4. Here, in the menu on the left, there is an icon with layers, by selecting which you can add or remove ports, station names, lighthouses and images on the map.

All information that is on the site comes from AIS data. The actual time of the ship's stay, departure from the port and arrival at the port may vary by approximately 1 hour. Information of online coordinates of all ships provided by the service is informational information and should not be used for navigation.

Would you like to know where this or that sea vessel is now, which ships are located next to you, and which are moored in Buenos Aires, Sumatra or Singapore? The MarineTraffic.com network service gives you a unique opportunity to get a lot of useful information according to the location and movement of the ship you need on the map, its route, speed, cargo, weather in this region, and so on. In this article, I will talk about the real-time vessel traffic map on the Marina Traffic website, and also explain in detail how to use the capabilities of this service.

AIS navigation

As you know, AIS (automated identification system) has been involved in navigation since the early 90s, the main purpose of which is to increase the monitoring and safety of maritime transport. Its capabilities allow you to identify the vessel, its course, dimensions and other parameters using VHF radio waves. The system covers an area of ​​about 9 million square kilometers of coastal zones around the globe, including about 2,500 ports in the areas of the most active maritime traffic.

In 2004, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) required ships with a gross tonnage of more than 300 tons to be required to install a special AIS transmitter on board the ship. The duties of the latter include transmitting in real time to a special receiving station all the necessary information about the vessel, including its speed, course, position, name, dimensions, and other relevant data.

The MarineTraffic.com site I'm reviewing receives data from over 1200 AIS receiving stations around the world. After collecting the data, they are transferred to the processing center, where they are processed, and applied to the map placed on the service. At the same time, the indicated ship movement map is available online both through the browser of a stationary PC and through the corresponding application for mobile devices.

So what is Marina Traffic?

"MarineTraffic" - a popular network service for tracking location in the world sea ​​vessels. The resource collects real-time data about the location of the vessel (as well as information about its course, speed, tonnage, and so on). And displays it on the corresponding map, thereby greatly facilitating the work of people directly related to the sea.

The purpose of the vessel traffic map service is to increase the transparency and efficiency of maritime transport. The site allows you to track the location of many ships, making data on them available to ordinary users. At the same time, the resource is actively developing, inviting interested parties to take a direct part in its formation and further progress.

If you want to look at you need to check out my selection of the best services at the link.

How to use the Marine Traffic real-time ship chart

After going to the marinetraffic.com website, you will immediately be taken to work card service.

I recommend scrolling down the working screen and using the Russian interface instead of the default English. At the same time, I will warn the reader that most of the interface will remain in English one way or another.

You will then need to go through the registration process (after which a number of special options of the My Fleets level will become available to you, allowing you to track the vessels of your choice). To do this, click on "Login" at the top, then on "Register", and go through the registration procedure via e-mail.

The map shows various types of vessels schematically in different colors (transport, tankers, passenger, high-speed, special, fishing, etc.)

By hovering over the ship you need, you can get information about its name and destination. More detailed information is available only after paying the appropriate fee for using the site (annual subscription, subscription depending on the number of ships you have chosen, and so on).

Service control panel in Russian

The Marina Traffic control panel is divided into two main parts - the left panel and the top panel.

The left panel contains the following options:

The top panel has the following options:

Conclusion

With all the richness of the capabilities of the Marina Traffic website, its free functionality is rather limited, being of interest only in terms of getting acquainted with the capabilities of the service. All the completeness of information on the ship traffic map that the user needs can only be obtained by paying for the paid functionality of the site, which is really quite impressive and will be fully useful to people associated with the sea and shipping.

Search and determination of the position of the vessel

based on data from AIS. All positions of ships, departure from the port and arrival at the port of destination in real time.

Attention! Vessel positions sometimes they may not correspond to the real ones and lag behind by an hour or more. All vessel position coordinates are provided for informational purposes only. Search data from AIS (AIS) cannot be used for route planning

When searching, you will find accurate information about the movement of ships on the map according to the data AIS and you can see their photos. In order to find a ship, select a sector on the map, where the number of people in it is indicated. this moment courts. We click with the mouse, for example, on the region of Europe and get the picture that you see above.

If you zoom in, you will see specific vessels. The map receives updates every few seconds. When you hover over the ship, you can see its name, on the site you can get other information you are interested in searching for.

To find the ship you are interested in, you should enter the name of the ship and, if possible, its localization in the search bar and press the search key. The AIS map will show the position of the vessel in real time.

This map informs not only about the ships, but also about the cargo carried on them, which can be useful for ship charterers. Be with us and not one ship will be lost.