AIS (eng. AIS Automatic Identification System) - a system that allows you to identify and track vessel movement online with an accuracy of 10 meters. Apart from deployment of AIS ships provides information about their type, dimensions, destination, speed, expected time of arrival, makes it possible to get acquainted with the history of routes and the intended course. The specified information is presented in the card, to open which you need to click on the object of interest. Online access to AIS ships provided directly by ships using a radio frequency transmitter. Individual vessels or ports may not be viewable due to range limitations, interference, or weather conditions affecting radio communications. If a " marine traffic” does not display the item you want, please try again later.

Real-time vessel movement map covers the whole world and provides the user with the opportunity to see their placement in various ports and regions of the world. To find ships in other regions and ports, you need to zoom out on the map and select the desired sector.

The Answer-Logistic portal focuses on the current movement and positions of vessels according to AIS in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland and the port of St. Petersburg. Note that deployment of ships displayed with a slight delay. You can find out the time elapsed since the last update of the coordinates by hovering over the object.

June 5, 2015 Written by: Webmaster

Marine Traffic has launched a Google Map displaying real time information about ship/vessel movements throughout the seas similar to VesselFinder .

Marine Traffic is developed as an academic project by the Greek University of the Aegean . It displays real-time AIS ship positions and information about vessel movements.

Data is collected by receiving of Automatic Identification System(AIS) transmissions. IMO requires ships over 300 gross tonnage to install an AIS transponder on board. The transponder transmits vessel position, SOG and COG(speed and course over ground), ship name, ship size and next port of call.

The system is based on AIS (Automatic Identification System) . The International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires all vessels over 299GT to carry an AIS transponder class A on board, which transmits data on position, speed and course over ground, among some other static information, such as the vessel name, dimensions and voyage details.

Real time vessel tracking by Marine Traffic

MarineTraffic uses this information to plot the real time position of marine vessels on a Google map. The vessels' positions are shown on the electronic map in the shape of boats. The tags are colored to show if the vessel is a tanker, passenger vessel, cargo vessel, yacht etc. Clicking on a tag displays information about the vessel and its current destination.

Marine Traffic say they can expand their area of ​​coverage to include any area worldwide. Anyone can install a VHF antenna, an AIS receiver and start immediately sharing data and seeing the vessels onto the map of Marine Traffic.

The technology of such monitoring of the movement of ships is based on a detailed base of received signals about the totality of the following parameters:

- vessel dimensions;
- its identification;
- speed and course of movement.

To this end, numerous spacecraft have been launched into near-Earth orbit, producing ship tracking and transmitting the received detailed information to ground stations. Dedicated solely to monitoring maritime traffic, today more than 10 orbiters orbit the Earth. As a result of the well-coordinated work of satellite systems, an interactive map appeared, with the help of which ship tracking online became a common event.

Data is updated in real time, although there may be delays in the transmission / receipt of information about the movement of ships within 60 minutes. Such inconsistencies occur when ships leave the area of ​​reception / transmission of the satellite signal. In order to minimize such annoying situations, to help interested countries (having access to the sea / ocean), space satellite vehicles equipped with AIS (AIS Automatic Identification System, although recently the decoding of this abbreviation has begun to sound like an automatic information system, with the main emphasis on the role of the information component in the latest space technologies).

The development of the Automatic Identification System in 2000 was driven by the urgent need to reduce ship collisions in the world's rapidly growing fleet. Only ships with a displacement of more than 100 tons annually increase by 3,000 units, and the increase in the number of smaller seaworthy "plankton" has long defied uniform statistics.

Crossing the expanses of the world's oceans, not all meetings end at a safe distance. As a result of practice, it became obvious that conventional radars could not solve such a problem painlessly.

In order to minimize the risks of collision, the International Maritime Organization has mandated the installation of AIS in order to ship tracking online, for the following types of maritime transport:

– cargo ships over 500 tons;
- "trucks" on international flights over 300 tons;
- all passenger ships, excluding tonnage.

What is the AIS ship module, designed to facilitate vessel tracking? This is a digital VHF transceiver, which is associated with navigation and ship systems. Every 2-10 seconds (depending on the speed of movement) or every 3 minutes in the parking mode, it transmits the following on-board dynamic information:

— current coordinates;
- navigation ("under the engine in motion", "at anchor") status;
— identifying MMSI number;
— speed and heading;
- time stamp.

In addition to dynamic labels, constantly (but somewhat less often, every 6 minutes), and this is exactly what is done real-time vessel tracking, static information is transmitted:

— IMO vessel identification number;
- its type and name;
— radio call sign and dimensions;
— type of system (GLONASS, GPS, LORAN) positioning;
- information about the route;
— category of cargo and draft;
— the presence and number of people on board.

It is also possible to enter text manually if the vessel is in danger.

Automatic identification system when real-time ship tracking consists of the following components:

- VHF transmitter;
- VHF receiver;
- satellite-global navigation receiver;
- equipment for input-output of information;
- antennas (mounting height of which is crucial for the reception / transmission range and can reach significant values: from 15-20 to 40-60 miles if there is a base station nearby that increases the visible range).

All received information is displayed on a computer monitor or chartplotter in a graphic version of the symbols superimposed on the map, or in the form of a table. In our case, this is marina traffic real time ship tracking.

If, for some reason, the positions of ships are not fixed on the map, then it is possible:

— the ship is far from the base station;
— it is not equipped with the AIS system or it is defective;
— the data is hidden for security purposes;
- the transponder power is below the required norm.

The sharply increased number of small sea vessels has led to the direct interest of their owners in ensuring their own safety, so equipping a vessel with AIS will make yacht tracking better, more mobile and easier.

On the map shown on this page, you can see vessels in real time, tracking in Russian language. Here you can even watch the movement of your own yacht during your cruise along the sea coast - this is very convenient.

MarineTraffic is a mobile program that allows you to show the location of ships and yachts around the world in real time. It is worth noting that the program is associated with AIS (Automatic Identification System) receivers. The application allows you to cover most of the fairly large ports, as well as shipping routes. Note that if you are fond of maritime affairs and you like to follow the movements of ships, then installing this program on your mobile device will be the most correct decision that you will not regret. It is worth saying that the application is stable and can be installed even on gadgets that cannot boast of their performance.

To date, more than a hundred thousand ships have been placed on the map that opens when this program is launched. The user can receive the most accurate information about their characteristics and speed. In addition, the application provides the ability to view the current wind speed, as well as receive a wind forecast in the next forty-eight hours (two days). In order to make viewing ships even more interesting for the user, the developers provided an animated display of the route.

It should also be said that the MarineTraffic application provides information about the arrival and departure of ships for more than four thousand ports and marinas. You can also receive information about situations that occur in ports, as well as calculate the time of arrival of ships. An interesting feature of the program is the presence of the "My Fleet" section. You can add control of the list of all the ships that you have added there. To date, the application provides the ability to view one and a half million ships, harbors and lighthouses.

The application is free. Moreover, if you want the program to determine the ships that are located around you, then in this case such a tool as Augmented Reality is provided. It can be purchased separately, directly in the program itself. It is worth saying that the program does not have a Russian-language interface. At the same time, it cannot be said that the English language that is added to the program is incomprehensible to users.

By installing the MarineTraffic program on your tablet computer or smartphone, you can get quite exciting and interesting information.

Changes in the latest version of Marine Traffic

Advanced Search.
- Fixes and improvements.

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 on the location and movement of the ship you need on the map, its route, speed, cargo, weather in the 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 specified map of the movement of ships online is available both through the browser of a stationary PC and through the corresponding application for mobile devices.

So what is Marina Traffic?

MarineTraffic is a world-famous network service for tracking the location of ships. 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 the working map of the 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.

Then you will need to go through the registration procedure (after which you will have access to a number of special options of the "My Fleets" level, 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.