Track Shipping Movements

Automatic Identification System[s] {AIS}

Visitors to this page since December 2006

Broadly speaking, automatic identification systems (AIS) are designed to be capable of providing information about the ship to other ships and to coastal authorities automatically.

The regulation requires AIS to be fitted aboard all ships of 300 gross tonnage and upwards engaged on international voyages, cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and upwards not engaged on international voyages and all passenger ships, irrespective of size.

The requirement became effective for all the above types of vessel on 31 December 2004.

The regulation requires that AIS shall:

provide information - including the ship's identity, type, position, course, speed, navigational status and other safety-related information - automatically to appropriately equipped shore stations, other ships and aircraft;
receive automatically such information from similarly fitted ships; · monitor and track ships;
exchange data with shore-based facilities.

Such technology now enables YOU to check on the movement of vessels, their identity, course, speed and other information that is manually entered by the bridge officers [well, sometimes!]

As an introduction to this, you can click on the link at the bottom of this page to see the movements of ships in the North Channel, between Northern Ireland and SW Scotland. If you move your mouse over a 'TARGET' then you will get more information on-screen on that particular vessel. You will see that targets in view may be coloured differently.... BLUE targets are ferries, the RED ones are oil/chemical tankers, the GREEN ones are general cargo ships etc... Click on a target, and on the left of your screen will appear more detailed information on that particular vessel, often including a photograph.

A similar [but more detailed AND accurate!] system has been used in AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL for many years.

Play around with the various settings on this page, to see the movements in various areas of the UK and beyond, and you can control the 'update/refresh frequency, should you wish to monitor a particular area.

Click HERE to see the shipping in the North Channel.