Live on the globe now: 13,061 tracked
This layer plots vessels on the globe as they broadcast their AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals — the same VHF transponder messages that ships use to announce themselves to each other and to coastal stations. Each dot is a real ship: a cargo carrier, tanker, passenger ferry, fishing boat or tug, placed at the position it last reported. The feed comes from AISstream.io, which relays decoded AIS messages over a live WebSocket from a worldwide network of receivers, so the map updates continuously as new position reports arrive rather than on a fixed refresh.
We read two kinds of AIS message. Position reports drive what you see moving — latitude and longitude, speed over ground, course over ground, true heading and navigational status (under way, at anchor, moored). Static and voyage data fills in the deep-dive: ship name, MMSI and IMO numbers, call sign, vessel type, length and beam, draught, declared destination and ETA. Click any vessel to inspect those details.
Coverage is densest near coastlines and busy shipping lanes, since AIS is line-of-sight VHF picked up by land-based receivers; mid-ocean traffic is sparser. This is one of about 29 live layers you can switch on over the same interactive Earth — spin, zoom and click freely.
Data source: AISstream.io
From AISstream.io, a free service that streams decoded AIS messages over a WebSocket. AIS is the transponder system vessels broadcast over VHF; AISstream aggregates reports collected by a global network of receivers and forwards them live.
Cargo ships, tankers, passenger vessels, fishing boats, tugs and more — whatever is transmitting AIS. Position reports give speed, course, heading and navigational status; static data adds name, MMSI, IMO, call sign, vessel type, dimensions, draught, destination and ETA when a ship transmits them.
It is a continuous WebSocket stream, so positions update as ships broadcast rather than on a set interval. Vessels report less often than aircraft — anywhere from seconds to a few minutes apart depending on speed and status — so a stationary ship at anchor updates slowly.
AIS is line-of-sight VHF picked up mainly by land-based receivers, so coverage is strongest near coasts and busy lanes. Ships far out at sea, with AIS switched off, or out of receiver range may not appear.