xMap data

Ships (AIS)

Ships (AIS) finds the vessels at sea or in port right now, from AIS, the signal ships send with their position, speed and heading. It listens to a live stream for 30, 60 or 90 seconds over the Area of interest before it (draw the port or the stretch of sea there) or around a point, and keeps the last position heard for each ship, with its name, type, speed, status, destination and size. Put Zone alert after it to hear only about the ships that entered or crossed a zone since the last run.

In the editor: Ships at sea or in port right now, from AIS (the signal ships send with their position, speed and heading; live from AISStream): every vessel heard in the Area of interest before this block, or around a point. Moving ships report every few seconds and ships at anchor every few minutes, so the block listens for a short while on each run.

Settings

Where

Pick one

Uses the Area of interest block before this one: draw the sea or port area there.

Area of interest
Around a point A circle: a point and a radius in kilometres.

Point (latitude, longitude)

Text

Radius (km)

A number

Needed before the flow can run.

Listen for

Pick one

Ships at anchor or moored report every 3 minutes, so a longer listen hears more of them; moving ships report every few seconds.

30 seconds Quickest. Enough for moving ships in a busy area.
60 seconds The usual choice.
90 seconds Hears more ships at anchor, which report less often.

Ship types

Pick one or more

The kinds of ship to keep, as each ship reports itself.

Cargo
Tanker
Passenger
Fishing
Tug and service
Pleasure and sailing
High speed
Military
Other

Include ships whose type is not heard yet

On or off

A ship sends its name and type every 6 minutes, so in a short listen some are heard by position only.

Ships

Pick one

All Every ship heard.
Moving (over 1 knot) Ships under way.
Stopped (anchored or moored) Ships at anchor or alongside.

Most ships

A number

Keeps at most this many ships a run.

Needed before the flow can run.

What comes out

Each item that leaves the block carries these fields, to use in the blocks after it as {{field}}.

Each ship heard

One item per ship (its MMSI), with the last position heard in the listen.

name: Its name, or MMSI and the number when its name was not heard yet.
mmsi: Its radio identity, nine digits.
imo: Its IMO number, when heard.
ship_type: Cargo, Tanker, Passenger, Fishing, Tug and service, Pleasure and sailing, High speed, Military, Other, or Not heard yet.
lat, lng: Its last position.
speed_kn, course, heading: Speed in knots, course and heading in degrees.
status: Under way, At anchor, Moored...
destination, eta: Where it says it is going, and when (UTC).
length_m, draught_m: Its length and draught in metres, when heard.
callsign: Its radio call sign.
last_heard: When it was last heard (UTC).
ship_url: A link to the ship’s page on a public ship tracker.

How to use it

Ports and shipping

Ships entering my zone

Ships listens over the port area every hour; Zone alert remembers each ship and reports the ones that entered or crossed the port entrance since the last run.

Marine fuel

Tankers waiting at anchor

A bunker supplier wants an hourly list of ships at anchor in the roads, to offer fuel before they berth.

Before: Sales called the harbour master twice a day.

With the flow: Every hour the team sees each ship at anchor with its name, size and destination.

Port agencies

How many ships are waiting

Zone alert set to Are inside it keeps the ships in the waiting area; the sheet becomes a log of the queue.

Fisheries and government

Fishing boats near a protected area

A coast authority wants to know when fishing boats go into a marine reserve.

Before: Patrols found out from reports days later.

With the flow: An email within the hour, with the boat’s name, MMSI and position.

Tourism

Cruise ships arriving

Destination and ETA come from the ships themselves, so the tour desk knows which cruise ships are on their way.

Energy and offshore

Who is near the platform

An offshore operator wants to know about any vessel within 5 km of a platform that is not one of its own supply boats.

Match with my table compares each ship’s MMSI with your own fleet list and keeps only the others.

Good to know

AIS comes live from AISStream. It is a stream, not a list: a ship that sends nothing during the listen is missed. Moving ships report every few seconds; ships at anchor every 3 minutes, so a longer listen hears more of them.
Coverage depends on receivers along the coast. Busy European ports are heard well; parts of the Gulf and the Red Sea are barely covered today. When an area sends nothing, the step says so.
A ship sends its name and type every 6 minutes, so in a short listen some come back as Not heard yet; keep or drop them with the toggle.
Up to 5 boxes are listened to for an area. Draw the area tightly around the port or sea you care about.
Pair it with Zone alert to report only ships that entered, crossed, are inside or left a zone; it remembers each ship between runs.
Credits: for each area watched, not for each ship, as shown at the top of the page.

Works well with

Zone alert: Reports items (ships, for example) that entered, crossed, are inside or left a zone.
Area of interest: Sets where the flow looks: countries, cities or specific places, or areas you draw on a map.
Filter: Keeps only the items that match a rule.
Email: Sends one email per run with all the items, or one email per item.
Show on a map: Shows the results as points on a map, with the area of interest.
Slack: Channel-based messaging platform
Match with my table: Looks each incoming item up in one of your tables or saved lists (My data), for example your customers.
Schedule: Starts the flow on a timetable.

Templates that use it

Ships entering my zone: An email when a ship enters or passes through your zone, every hour.
Tankers waiting outside the port: Tankers and cargo ships waiting outside the port, every hour.
Ships stopped off the coast: Ships stopped off the coast that entered the area, every hour.
Port activity snapshot: A daily snapshot of port activity: ships by type, moving or waiting.
Cruise ships arriving at the port: An alert, with WhatsApp to the guides, when a cruise ship enters the port.
Ships arriving at the port, for the business desk: Ships entering the port each hour, each in one newsy line.
Aid cargo ships arriving at the port: Aid cargo ships arriving at the relief port, every hour.
Ships stopped near a restricted area: Ships stopped inside a restricted coastal area, every hour.
Ships idling at anchor, for the port’s emissions report: Ships idling at anchor each day, for the port’s emissions note.
Ships waiting at anchor, for the berth planner: The queue at anchor every hour, by type, for the berth planner.
Ships stopped near the port, for bunker fuel sales: Ships stopped near the port, with a note for bunker traders.
Pleasure boats in the marina area, every hour: Boats arriving at the marina every hour.
Fast boats entering a protected area: Fast boats entering a protected area, sent to enforcement at once.
Tugs and service boats in the harbour, every 15 minutes: Where every tug is, every 15 minutes, for dispatch.
Offshore supply boats at the base, every evening: Supply and service boats at the base each evening.
Ships crossing the strait, every day: Ships crossing a strait each day, by type, with a trade note.
Harbour master’s morning brief: Ships, weather and roads in one morning brief for the harbour master.
Ships approaching the pilot boarding area: Ships entering the pilot boarding area, to the pilot station every 15 minutes.
Weekly port activity report: A weekly report of ships by type, for the board and customers.
Bulk carriers at the ore export port: Bulk carriers at the ore port every six hours, for the stockpile team.
Fishing boats inside a marine protected area: Fishing boats inside a protected area, to the officers every hour.
Fishing boats at sea off our coast, every evening: Fishing boats at sea each evening, moving or stopped.
Weekly fisheries brief: Weather, boats at sea and new buyers in one weekly brief.

Stories with it

Open when the cruise ship docks, not after (Souvenir shop)
No anchor drops on the island cables (Port authority)
Insured ships out of the typhoon (Marine insurance)
The port answers itself, so the planner can plan (Port terminal)
Trucks that arrive when the boxes do (Container haulage)
The crew sleeps until the boats come home (Seafood processing)
Guides at the terminal before the ship docks (Tours and excursions)
Buyers hear about the typhoon from her first (Electronics exports)

Help articles

Zone alerts: know when something enters an area: Ships, vehicles or any moving item crossing your zone.
Ships (AIS): Ships in a sea area, their type, speed and destination.

Guides and terms

How to be alerted when ships enter a port area: A zone, a live AIS stream and an alert.
Geofencing: A virtual boundary that triggers something when an item enters or leaves it.
AIS (ship tracking): Radio messages ships send with their identity, position and course.

Industries that use it

Logistics & delivery · Government & cities · Investors & consultants · Hotels & tourism · Media & publishing · Non-profits & humanitarian · Security & emergency services · Environment & climate · Ports & shipping · Mining, oil & gas · Fishing & aquaculture

Try it

Build a flow with Ships (AIS) on the home page, no account needed, or book a call. Try it live