Caucasus ship traffic in real time. Traffic of sea and river vessels

Would you like to know where this or that sea vessel is currently located, which ships are located next to you, and which ones 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 by the location and movement of the vessel you need on the map, its route, speed, cargo, weather in this region and so on. In this material I will talk about the real-time ship traffic map on the Marine Traffic website, and also explain in detail how to use the capabilities of this service.

As you know, AIS (automated identification system) has been used in shipping since the early 90s, the main purpose of which is to improve the monitoring and safety of maritime transport. Its capabilities allow you to identify a ship, its course, dimensions and other parameters using VHF radio waves. The system covers an area of ​​approximately 9 million square kilometers of coastal zones. to the globe, including about 2,500 ports in 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 mandatory installation on board the ship with a special AIS transmitter. The latter’s responsibilities include real-time transmission of all necessary information about the vessel including its speed, course, location, name, dimensions, and other relevant data.

The site I'm reviewing, MarineTraffic.com, receives data from more than 1,200 AIS receiving stations around the world. After collecting data, it is transferred to a processing center, where it is processed and plotted on a map posted on the service. At the same time, the indicated map of ship movement online is available both through a browser on a desktop PC and through the corresponding application for mobile devices.

So what is Marine Traffic?

"MarineTraffic" - popular in the world network service for location tracking 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 connected with 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 vessels, making data on them available to ordinary users. At the same time, the resource is actively developing, inviting interested parties to take direct part in its formation and further progress.

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

How to use the Marine Traffic real-time ship traffic map

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

I recommend scrolling down the work screen and using the Russian interface instead of the default English one. 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 you will have access to a number of special options at 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 email.

On the map schematically in different colors displayed various types vessels (transport, tankers, passenger, high-speed, special, fishing, etc.)

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

Service control panel in Russian

The Marine Traffic service 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

Despite all the richness of the Marine Traffic website’s capabilities, its free functionality is quite limited, being of interest only in terms of familiarization with the capabilities of the service. All the completeness of information on required by the user A ship traffic map 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 maritime transportation.

1.1. These rules govern the relationship between the Visitor/User/Customer and the Contractor for the provision of Services.
1.2. The Contractor posts on the Site information about the Services offered and other information related to the activities of the Contractor. Changes, including information about the provision of Services on the Site and their cost, are made by the Contractor in unilaterally without prior notice to the User. The information is valid until the Contractor makes appropriate changes, unless another period is additionally specified by the Contractor.
1.3. Full and unconditional consent and acceptance of these Rules is the placement by the Customer of the Application in the manner established on the Site.

2. TERMS USED

2.1. Site visitor is a person who came to the Site without the purpose of placing an Application. 2.2. User - a visitor to the Site who accepts the terms of this Agreement and wishes to place an Application on the Site.
2.3. Customer - the User who placed the Application on the Site.
2.4. Contractor - a legal entity whose description of the Services is posted on the Site. Information about legal entity: Kvazar LLC (OGRN 1142536007790, INN 2536276283, KPP 253601001, location: Vladivostok, Dalzavodskaya st., 2a. Office 218.)
2.5..
2.6. Services - information services provided by the Contractor and available for Application on the Site.
2.7. Application - a duly completed request from the Customer for the provision of the Service selected on the Site.

3. PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

3.1. By providing his personal data when submitting an application form on the Site, the Customer gives the Contractor his consent to the processing and use of his personal data in accordance with Federal Law No. 152-FZ “On Personal Data” dated July 27, 2006. in various ways indefinitely and for the purposes specified in this Agreement.
3.2. The Contractor uses the Customer’s personal data for the purposes of:
- registration by the Customer of the Application on the Site;
- feedback with the Customer.
3.3. Personal data collected by the Contractor:
- Customer's phone number;
- Address email Customer;
- Full name of the Customer.
3.4. The Contractor undertakes not to disclose information received from the Customer. At the same time, disclosure of information is not considered a violation of obligations in the case where the obligation for such disclosure is established by the requirements of the current legislation of the Russian Federation.
3.5. The Customer may withdraw his consent to the processing of personal data after personally contacting the Contractor.

4. FINAL PROVISIONS

4.1. The Contractor reserves the right to make unilateral changes to these rules. Changes to the terms of these rules come into force after they are published on the Site.

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

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

The result of this processing was embodied in an interactive map of vessel movements, which can be seen below.

Interactive map of maritime traffic

Search for a ship by its name

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

Map update

Almost all data shown on the map is updated in real time. It is worth remembering that the speed of a ship on the open sea is relatively slow, so if it seems that the ship is not moving, then perhaps you should just wait. However, the reason for the “freezing” of the ship may not be 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 communicate with satellites again - its location will be updated.

Based on data from AIS. All vessel positions, departure from the port and arrival at the destination port in real time. Attention! The positions of the vessels may sometimes not correspond to the real ones and may lag behind by an hour or more. All coordinates of vessel positions are presented for informational purposes only.

Search data from AIS cannot be used for routing. When searching, you will find accurate information about the movements of ships on the map using AIS data and can view their photographs. In order to find a ship, select a sector on the map, where the number of those located there is indicated. at the moment ships.

We click with the mouse, for example, on the region of Europe and get the picture that you see below. If you zoom in on the area, you will see specific vessels. The map receives updates every few seconds.

When you hover your cursor over a ship, you can see its name; on the site you can get other information you are interested in for searching. To find the ship you are interested in, enter the name of the ship and, if possible, its location in the search bar and press the search key. The AIS map will show the vessel's position in real time.

What is AIS?

To reduce the risk of ship collisions, AIS - Automatic Identification System was developed in 2000. Its functionality turned out to be so successful that just two years later the International Maritime Organization demanded the mandatory installation of AIS terminals on all cargo ships with a displacement of more than 500 registered tons, on “trucks” over 300 tons on international voyages, and on all ships for passenger transport, regardless of tonnage

Unlike radars, which can detect the appearance of large floating objects near the ship and approximately estimate their current direction and speed of movement, AIS allows you to obtain much more detailed and accurate information about the navigation situation.

To better understand the possibilities new system, first let's figure out how it works.

The ship's AIS module is a digital VHF transceiver associated with ships' navigation systems. Depending on the speed of the vessel, every 2–10 seconds (every 3 minutes when stationary) it automatic mode transmits the next operational information: identification number MMSI, navigation status (“at anchor”, “underway”, etc.), current coordinates, true course and speed, angular rate of turn and precise time stamp.

In addition to dynamic data, static data is transmitted every 6 minutes: the vessel's IMO identification number, its type, name, radio call sign, dimensions, type of positioning system (GPS, GLONASS, LORAN) and even the position of its antenna relative to the bow of the vessel. Route information is also transmitted at the same frequency: destination with estimated time of arrival, draft, cargo category and number of people on board. In addition, in the event of a threat to the safety of the vessel, it is allowed to send text messages entered manually.

The received information can be displayed on the terminal in the form of a table with information about nearby vessels, as well as in the form of their symbols superimposed on navigation maps(for example, in a chartplotter) - of course, in this case it is much easier to assess the relative position and dynamics of movement.

In short, according to AIS messages, the captain can absolutely accurately assess the current navigation situation. By the way, radio traffic in the system is carried out in the range of 162 MHz, that is, at a much lower frequency compared to radar radiation. Longer radio waves are able to avoid obstacles such as large ships and low islands, and therefore the range of AIS is pleasantly impressive. Under favorable conditions, it can exceed 40 miles, but keep in mind that the height of the antenna here, as with other airborne transmitters, plays a decisive role.

For yachtsmen, at least those whose vessels do not appear in the Forbes magazine charts, the subtlety of using the system lies in the fact that only simplified version terminals, designated “Class B”, are allowed to be installed on ships with a displacement of less than 300 tons.

They feature a noticeably reduced transmitter power (2 W versus 12.5 W), which limits their transmission range to approximately five miles. Another nuisance is a simplified data transmission algorithm that allows you to send information only if there is still air on the air. free space during the radio exchange of older brothers equipped with class A terminals. The trick here is that at any given time, one single block of digital data can be transmitted on any of the two AIS channels, and class A devices are able to agree with each other in advance about the order in which they are issued.

However, you must agree: despite such discrimination, being in a rough sea at night, it is very pleasant to know that on a supertanker passing nearby, the watchman probably knows about the presence of your 45-foot yacht at his side.

There is another way to use AIS, and it involves installing a receiver that does not allow sending any data at all, but is capable of tracking the movements of all ships equipped with full-fledged terminals. By and large, for this even separate device is not required, as manufacturers like Icom and Standard Horizon have begun to include this feature in top models of VHF mountable radios.

Convenient, compact, not expensive, but there is one big “but” - it’s problematic to place even a text table on a small low-resolution screen, let alone build even the most primitive semblance of a map...

This is why AIS receivers have been developed that do not show graphic information, but able to convert data into packets of the standard NMEA protocol, understood by the vast majority of chartplotters. Plus, some of them can connect to computers via USB, or even transfer data to computers via Wi-Fi. mobile gadgets, working under Android control or iOS. Similar devices are produced, for example, by Weather Dock.

By the way, when installing AIS equipment, even in additional antenna there is no absolute need due to working in one frequency range with on-board radio. However, keep in mind that splitters used to connect two antennas different devices, as a rule, the signal level is slightly reduced, and in case of problems with a single antenna, you will lose two security systems at once.

It would be naive to believe that such an advanced information exchange system was created solely to assist helmsmen in operational maneuvering. AIS also includes global monitoring of vessel movements for the benefit of a variety of shipping companies, traffic control centers, and government agencies that may require information about the location of certain vessels or cargo. For this reason, AIS equipment can be based not only on ships, but also on coastal stations, many of which are connected to a global network.

Well, in order to more effectively use the system to search and rescue sailors in emergency situations, emergency buoys are being produced that are capable of transmitting AIS information with high priority. There are also so-called virtual buoys - this is the only type of device in the system, whose real location may not coincide with the coordinates in their messages. As a rule, these are transmitters installed on the shore, warning passing ships of dangers such as poorly visible rocks or capes devoid of lighthouses jutting far out to sea.

It must be said that AIS receivers are even located on satellites. It is only on the surface of the Earth that the radius of propagation of its signal is limited by visibility to the horizon, but in space it can be received from hundreds of kilometers without any problems. Today, more than a dozen spacecraft are orbiting the planet, monitoring maritime traffic.

It’s especially nice that you can get to data on the global movement of ships without being the owner of a shipping company or a secret service agent. Information is available on a paid basis (for example, in full version Google Earth), however, in a somewhat truncated form it can be seen for free, for example, on the resource www.marinetraffic.com, whose interactive maps And user-friendly interface replicated on many other nautical websites.

MarineTraffic - what is it?

Marine traffic is conditional free service to track the vessel's location online. On the world map you can find any ships that are in port or at sea. In the service options you can also track the location of the vessel by its name in real time.
When you select a vessel on the map, a window pops up with information about the vessel online:

• ship name
• type of vessel (container, tanker, passenger ship, etc.)
• ship status
• ship speed
• ship course
• ship's draft

Operating principle of Marine traffic and AIS systems

Nowadays, almost all ships are equipped with an automatic identification system, AIS, which allows you to track the ship and avoid collisions between ships. At what maximum distance can a ship be tracked on a map? It all depends on the height of the antenna located on the ship itself and at the nearest station on land. Conventional AIS stations cover a range of about 40 nautical miles (about 75 km). In some cases, the location of the ship can be tracked at a distance of 200 miles, which is, not less, 370 km. But this is the case if the AIS station is located high above sea level, for example on a mountain, and the ship itself is equipped with a good antenna. Thus, anyone can track a vessel online using the Marinetraffic service.

How to track a ship on the map?

If you have the name of a ship, the easiest way to find out the ship's location is to enter it in the map search and the system will immediately show the ship's position and information about it. If you know that the ship has not yet left a certain port or it could not have gone far from it, you can try to find the desired port in the same search form. And then use the familiar mouse actions to point at all the vessels and view information about them. Also, to make your search easier, you can filter ships by type. For example, select only passenger, fishing or cargo ships. The service is intuitive and if you have the skills to use a map, then finding out the location of the vessel in real time will not be difficult for you.