Researchers at UCL Energy Institute together with London-based data visualization and digital journalism studio Kiln have released this amazing interactive map that plots 250 million data points to show the movements of the world’s commercial shipping fleet during the year 2012. (Hit the play button above to learn more about what is being displayed) The map was … [Read more...]
First AIS Aid to Navigation in Sweden Deployed
Danderyd, Sweden – True Heading, leading manufacturer of Automatic Identification System (AIS) solutions, GPS compasses and app navigation, announced today that it has supplied an AIS Aid to Navigation (ATON) beacon to the Port of Stockholm, Sweden. Located at Stockholm Stream (Stockholm Ström) and the first of its kind in Sweden, local authorities launched a new buoy with the … [Read more...]
AIS Replay of MV Maersk Garonne Grounding in Fremantle, Western Australia [VIDEO]
![AIS Replay of MV Maersk Garonne Grounding in Fremantle, Western Australia [VIDEO]](https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Screen-Shot-2015-03-01-at-3.44.51-PM-207x125.png)
Here's an AIS reconstruction showing the grounding of the MV Maersk Garonne as it entered Fremantle Inner Harbour in Western Australia early Saturday morning. As gCaptain reported, the vessel was pulled free from soft sand a few hours later. There are no reports of damage to the vessel, injuries or pollution. The Australian Transport Safety Board has launched an … [Read more...]
New Satellite Data Reveals Major Uptick in Global Maritime Traffic
Maritime traffic on the world’s oceans has increased four-fold over the past 20 years, according to a new study published by the American Geophysical Union quantifying global ship traffic and its impacts on the environment. The research used satellite altimeter data to estimate the number of vessels on the ocean every year between 1992 and 2012. According to the findings, … [Read more...]
AIS Reliance Contributed to Dover Strait Collision -REPORT
An investigation by the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch into a January 2014 collision between a Rickmers' cargo ship and a crane barge in the Dover Strait has found that the cargo ship's watch officer was overly reliant on AIS information displayed on the ECDIS and did not maintain a proper lookout or pay attention to the ship's radar leading up to collision. On 10 … [Read more...]
USCG Rolling Out AIS Aids to Navigation: Are They Safe AND Secure?
By Captain Richard Madden - There are new buoys – and is some cases virtual buoys – coming to a U.S. port near you. First seen in the port of Mombasa, Kenya almost two years ago, AIS-assisted buoys (Real AIS ATON) – physical buoys with an AIS transmitter installed – will be rolled out in select areas on an experimental basis by the U.S. Coast Guard. These will be … [Read more...]
Phantom Ships Expose Weakness in AIS Vessel-Tracking System
By Isaac Arnsdorf Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Shippers, traders and researchers monitoring global vessel traffic in the past six months might have seen an imaginary U.S. ferry sail to North Korea, a tugboat go from the Mississippi River to a Dallas lake in two minutes and the path of a fake Italian yacht spelling out PWNED -- hacker slang for “defeated.” These … [Read more...]