{"id":48488,"date":"2026-04-02T00:18:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T23:18:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/?page_id=48488"},"modified":"2026-04-26T23:58:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T22:58:47","slug":"ais","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/ais\/","title":{"rendered":"AIS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"mh-ais-mobilebar\" role=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"AIS Hub mobile\">\n  <button class=\"mh-ais-mobilebar__toggle\" type=\"button\" id=\"mhAisDrawerOpen\" aria-controls=\"mhAisDrawer\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n    <svg viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><rect y=\"2\" width=\"16\" height=\"2\" rx=\"1\"\/><rect y=\"7\" width=\"16\" height=\"2\" rx=\"1\"\/><rect y=\"12\" width=\"16\" height=\"2\" rx=\"1\"\/><\/svg>\n    Contents\n  <\/button>\n  <div class=\"mh-ais-mobilebar__title\">AIS Hub<\/div>\n  <span class=\"mh-ais-mobilebar__spacer\"><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"mh-ais-drawer-backdrop\" id=\"mhAisDrawerBackdrop\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<aside class=\"mh-ais-drawer\" id=\"mhAisDrawer\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-label=\"AIS Hub navigation\">\n  <div class=\"mh-ais-drawer__head\">\n    <span class=\"mh-ais-drawer__title\">AIS Hub<\/span>\n    <button class=\"mh-ais-drawer__close\" type=\"button\" id=\"mhAisDrawerClose\" aria-label=\"Close menu\">\u00d7<\/button>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"mh-ais-drawer__body\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n<div class=\"mh-ais-shell\">\n\n  <nav class=\"mh-ais-nav\" id=\"mhAisPrimaryNav\" aria-label=\"AIS Hub sections\">\n    <p class=\"mh-ais-nav-title\">AIS Hub<\/p>\n    <ul class=\"mh-ais-tree\">\n      <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path \/><\/svg>\n\n      <li class=\"mh-ais-cat\" data-open=\"false\">\n        <button class=\"mh-ais-cat-toggle\" type=\"button\">AIS Fundamentals<span class=\"caret\">\u25be<\/span><\/button>\n        <ul>\n          <li><a href=\"#what-is-ais\">What Is AIS?<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#ais-history\">History &amp; Origins<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#how-ais-works\">How AIS Works<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#ais-channels\">Frequencies &amp; Channels<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#class-a-b\">Class A vs Class B<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#ais-vs-radar\">AIS vs Radar<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#solas\">SOLAS Carriage<\/a><\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/li>\n\n      <li class=\"mh-ais-cat\" data-open=\"false\">\n        <button class=\"mh-ais-cat-toggle\" type=\"button\">Equipment &amp; Technology<span class=\"caret\">\u25be<\/span><\/button>\n        <ul>\n          <li><a href=\"#transponders\">AIS Transponders<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#receivers\">AIS Receivers<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#antennas\">Antennas &amp; Install<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#gps-integration\">GPS Integration<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#vhf-integration\">VHF Integration<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#mkd\">Min. Keyboard &amp; Display<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#aton\">AIS Aids to Navigation<\/a><\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/li>\n\n      <li class=\"mh-ais-cat\" data-open=\"false\">\n        <button class=\"mh-ais-cat-toggle\" type=\"button\">Messages &amp; Data<span class=\"caret\">\u25be<\/span><\/button>\n        <ul>\n          <li><a href=\"#message-types\">Message Types 1\u201327<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#static-dynamic\">Static vs Dynamic<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#voyage-data\">Voyage Data<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#safety-msg\">Safety Messages<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#binary-msg\">Binary Messages<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#reporting-intervals\">Reporting Intervals<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#nmea\">NMEA 0183<\/a><\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/li>\n\n      <li class=\"mh-ais-cat\" data-open=\"false\">\n        <button class=\"mh-ais-cat-toggle\" type=\"button\">Networks &amp; Coverage<span class=\"caret\">\u25be<\/span><\/button>\n        <ul>\n          <li><a href=\"#base-stations\">Base Stations<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#repeaters\">Repeaters<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#sat-ais\">Satellite AIS<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#coastal-networks\">Coastal Networks<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#crowdsourced\">Crowd-Sourced<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#contribute-station\">Contributing<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#coverage-maps\">Coverage &amp; Gaps<\/a><\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/li>\n\n      <li class=\"mh-ais-cat\" data-open=\"false\">\n        <button class=\"mh-ais-cat-toggle\" type=\"button\">Tracking &amp; Monitoring<span class=\"caret\">\u25be<\/span><\/button>\n        <ul>\n          <li><a href=\"#live-tracking\">Live Tracking<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#fleet-mgmt\">Fleet Management<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#superyacht-tracking\">Superyacht Tracking<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#port-calls\">Port Calls &amp; ETAs<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#voyage-history\">Voyage History<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#anti-collision\">Anti-Collision<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#sar\">Search &amp; Rescue<\/a><\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/li>\n\n      <li class=\"mh-ais-cat\" data-open=\"false\">\n        <button class=\"mh-ais-cat-toggle\" type=\"button\">Regulations &amp; Compliance<span class=\"caret\">\u25be<\/span><\/button>\n        <ul>\n          <li><a href=\"#imo-regs\">IMO Regulations<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#solas-v\">SOLAS Chapter V<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#carriage\">Carriage by Type<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#national-regs\">National Rules<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#privacy\">Privacy &amp; Data<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#yacht-privacy\">Superyacht Privacy<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#spoofing\">Spoofing &amp; Cyber<\/a><\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/li>\n\n      <li class=\"mh-ais-cat\" data-open=\"false\">\n        <button class=\"mh-ais-cat-toggle\" type=\"button\">Applications<span class=\"caret\">\u25be<\/span><\/button>\n        <ul>\n          <li><a href=\"#mda\">Maritime Domain Awareness<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#port-management\">Port Management<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#superyacht-ops\">Superyacht Ops<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#environment\">Environmental<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#insurance\">Insurance &amp; Risk<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#analytics\">Research &amp; Analytics<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#enforcement\">Enforcement<\/a><\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/li>\n\n      <li class=\"mh-ais-cat\" data-open=\"false\">\n        <button class=\"mh-ais-cat-toggle\" type=\"button\">MaritimeHub Tools<span class=\"caret\">\u25be<\/span><\/button>\n        <ul>\n          <li><a href=\"#live-map\">Live Fleet Map<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#vessel-search\">Vessel Search<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#regional\">Regional Hotspots<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#superyacht-hotspots\">Superyacht Hotspots<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#station-network\">Station Network<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#contribute\">Contribute a Station<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#api\">API &amp; Embeds<\/a><\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/li>\n\n      <li class=\"mh-ais-cat\" data-open=\"false\">\n        <button class=\"mh-ais-cat-toggle\" type=\"button\">Future of AIS<span class=\"caret\">\u25be<\/span><\/button>\n        <ul>\n          <li><a href=\"#vdes\">VDES<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#next-gen\">Next-Gen Tracking<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#ai-predictive\">AI &amp; Predictive<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#iot\">IoT Integration<\/a><\/li>\n          <li><a href=\"#autonomous\">Autonomous Vessels<\/a><\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n      <\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n  <\/nav>\n\n  <main class=\"mh-ais-main\">\n    <section class=\"mh-ais-hero\">\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-hero-top\">\n        <div class=\"mh-ais-hero-left\">\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-livepill\">Live<\/span>\n          <h1>MaritimeHub AIS Hub<\/h1>\n          <p>Live vessel tracking, AIS theory, equipment, regulations and the full AIS picture &mdash; from the first transponder switched on in 2002 to satellite AIS, VDES, superyacht tracking and autonomous shipping. Learn the system and watch it work in real time.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"mh-ais-hero-right\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1494412651409-8963ce7935a7?auto=format&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=900&amp;q=70\" alt=\"AIS overview\">\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-cta-row\">\n        <a href=\"#live-map\" class=\"mh-ais-cta\">\n          <div class=\"mh-ais-cta-title\">Live Fleet Map<\/div>\n          <div class=\"mh-ais-cta-sub\">Real-time positions for 600k+ vessels worldwide.<\/div>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#vessel-search\" class=\"mh-ais-cta\">\n          <div class=\"mh-ais-cta-title\">Search a Vessel<\/div>\n          <div class=\"mh-ais-cta-sub\">Look up any ship by IMO, MMSI or name.<\/div>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#contribute\" class=\"mh-ais-cta\">\n          <div class=\"mh-ais-cta-title\">Contribute a Station<\/div>\n          <div class=\"mh-ais-cta-sub\">Run a receiver, fill coverage gaps, earn premium access.<\/div>\n        <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"mh-ais-block\" id=\"live-map\">\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-block-head\">\n        <h2>MaritimeHub Live AIS Map<\/h2>\n        <p>Real-time vessel positions powered by AIS Friends. Pick a hotspot &mdash; including superyacht-dense waters &mdash; or search by IMO \/ MMSI \/ vessel name.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-tabs\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab is-active\" data-lat=\"53\" data-lon=\"-2\" data-zoom=\"5\">UK &amp; Ireland<\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab\" data-lat=\"51.05\" data-lon=\"1.4\" data-zoom=\"9\">Dover Strait<\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab\" data-lat=\"56\" data-lon=\"3\" data-zoom=\"6\">North Sea<\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab\" data-lat=\"38\" data-lon=\"14\" data-zoom=\"5\">Mediterranean<\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab mh-ais-tab--yacht\" data-lat=\"43.55\" data-lon=\"7.2\" data-zoom=\"9\">Riviera <span class=\"mh-ais-tab__badge\">Superyacht<\/span><\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab mh-ais-tab--yacht\" data-lat=\"17.7\" data-lon=\"-62.85\" data-zoom=\"8\">Caribbean <span class=\"mh-ais-tab__badge\">Superyacht<\/span><\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab\" data-lat=\"30.5\" data-lon=\"32.4\" data-zoom=\"9\">Suez<\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab\" data-lat=\"1.2\" data-lon=\"103.85\" data-zoom=\"10\">Singapore<\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab\" data-lat=\"9.1\" data-lon=\"-79.7\" data-zoom=\"10\">Panama<\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-tab\" data-lat=\"36\" data-lon=\"-75\" data-zoom=\"5\">US East Coast<\/button>\n      <\/div>\n      <form class=\"mh-ais-searchrow\" id=\"aisSearchForm\" autocomplete=\"off\">\n        <input type=\"text\" id=\"aisSearchInput\" class=\"mh-ais-search\" placeholder=\"Search by vessel name, IMO or MMSI&hellip;\">\n        <button type=\"submit\" class=\"mh-ais-btn mh-ais-btn--primary\">Search<\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"mh-ais-btn\" id=\"aisResetBtn\">Reset<\/button>\n      <\/form>\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-map-wrap\">\n        <div id=\"ais-friends-map\"><\/div>\n        <div class=\"mh-ais-map-loading\" id=\"aisMapLoading\">\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-spinner\"><\/span>\n          <span>Loading live AIS feed&hellip;<\/span>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <p class=\"mh-ais-caption\">Live data: AIS Friends global network. Class A vessels report every few seconds; Class B every 30s&ndash;3min. Some superyachts run AIS in low-power mode or off in port &mdash; legal under SOLAS V\/19.<\/p>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"mh-ais-block\">\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-block-head\">\n        <h2>On Watch<\/h2>\n        <p>The AIS picture right now &mdash; what&#8217;s being tracked, what to monitor, and the data points that matter most.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-cards\">\n        <div class=\"mh-ais-card\">\n          <strong>High-density traffic zones<\/strong>\n          <span>Dover Strait, Singapore Strait and Rotterdam approaches &mdash; see how AIS handles 1,000+ vessels in shared coverage.<\/span>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"mh-ais-card\">\n          <strong>Superyacht season tracking<\/strong>\n          <span>Riviera in summer, Caribbean in winter &mdash; follow the fleet between Monaco, St Tropez, St Barts and Antigua.<\/span>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"mh-ais-card\">\n          <strong>Dark-vessel detection<\/strong>\n          <span>Spotting AIS gaps, switch-offs and identity spoofing. How operators read what isn&#8217;t there.<\/span>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"mh-ais-block\">\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-block-head\">\n        <h2>Explore the AIS World<\/h2>\n        <p>Use the AIS Hub as a complete map of the system &mdash; from VHF radio principles to satellite coverage, regulation and operator tooling.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-explore-grid\">\n        <a href=\"#what-is-ais\" class=\"mh-ais-explore-card\">\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-tag\">Fundamentals<\/span>\n          <h3>AIS Basics &amp; Origins<\/h3>\n          <p>What AIS is, how it grew out of SOLAS, and how the system shares a single VHF channel.<\/p>\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-link\">Explore basics &rarr;<\/span>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#transponders\" class=\"mh-ais-explore-card\">\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-tag\">Technology<\/span>\n          <h3>Equipment &amp; Transponders<\/h3>\n          <p>Class A, Class B, AtoN, SART and base stations. Antennas, GPS and bridge displays.<\/p>\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-link\">Explore equipment &rarr;<\/span>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#sat-ais\" class=\"mh-ais-explore-card\">\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-tag\">Networks<\/span>\n          <h3>Coverage &amp; Satellite AIS<\/h3>\n          <p>Coastal stations, repeaters, S-AIS and where the blind spots still are.<\/p>\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-link\">Explore coverage &rarr;<\/span>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#vdes\" class=\"mh-ais-explore-card\">\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-tag\">Future<\/span>\n          <h3>VDES &amp; Smart Tracking<\/h3>\n          <p>VHF Data Exchange, predictive analytics and autonomous vessel operations.<\/p>\n          <span class=\"mh-ais-link\">Explore future &rarr;<\/span>\n        <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"mh-ais-block\">\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-block-head\">\n        <h2>Featured AIS Topics<\/h2>\n        <p>Entry points into the most-asked AIS subjects on MaritimeHub.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-featured-grid\">\n        <a href=\"#how-ais-works\" class=\"mh-ais-featured-card\">\n          <h3>How AIS Works<\/h3>\n          <p>Self-organising TDMA, channels 87B\/88B and 2,250 time slots that keep traffic moving without collisions.<\/p>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#message-types\" class=\"mh-ais-featured-card\">\n          <h3>The 27 Message Types<\/h3>\n          <p>Position reports, voyage data, base station messages and binary application data &mdash; what each carries.<\/p>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#solas\" class=\"mh-ais-featured-card\">\n          <h3>SOLAS &amp; Carriage Rules<\/h3>\n          <p>Which vessels must carry AIS, when it can be switched off, and what flag states require beyond IMO baseline.<\/p>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#class-a-b\" class=\"mh-ais-featured-card\">\n          <h3>Class A vs Class B<\/h3>\n          <p>SOTDMA vs CSTDMA, transmit power, reporting intervals and why a Class B isn&#8217;t equal to Class A.<\/p>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#superyacht-tracking\" class=\"mh-ais-featured-card\">\n          <h3>Superyacht AIS<\/h3>\n          <p>Privacy mode, AIS off in port, owner anonymity and how the world&#8217;s biggest yachts show up &mdash; or don&#8217;t.<\/p>\n        <\/a>\n        <a href=\"#spoofing\" class=\"mh-ais-featured-card\">\n          <h3>Spoofing &amp; Dark Activity<\/h3>\n          <p>How identities are faked, how it&#8217;s detected, and what the sanctions and insurance worlds are doing about it.<\/p>\n        <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n  <\/main>\n\n  <aside class=\"mh-ais-side\">\n    <div class=\"mh-ais-sidebox\">\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-sidebox-header\">Advertisement<\/div>\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-ad-slot\">300 &times; 250<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"mh-ais-sidebox\">\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-sidebox-header\">AIS Quick Facts<\/div>\n      <ul class=\"mh-ais-rail-facts\">\n        <li><strong>VHF Channels<\/strong><span>87B \/ 88B<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><strong>Time slots\/min<\/strong><span>2,250<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><strong>Mandatory since<\/strong><span>2002 (SOLAS V\/19)<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><strong>Class A power<\/strong><span>12.5 W<\/span><\/li>\n        <li><strong>Class B power<\/strong><span>2 W<\/span><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"mh-ais-sidebox\">\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-sidebox-header\">Advertisement<\/div>\n      <div class=\"mh-ais-ad-slot mh-ais-ad-slot--tall\">300 &times; 600<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/aside>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contents AIS Hub AIS Hub \u00d7 AIS Hub AIS Fundamentals\u25be What Is AIS? History &amp; Origins How AIS Works Frequencies &amp; Channels Class A vs Class B AIS vs Radar SOLAS Carriage Equipment &amp; Technology\u25be AIS Transponders AIS Receivers Antennas &amp; Install GPS Integration VHF Integration Min. Keyboard &amp; Display AIS Aids to Navigation Messages [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"c2c-post-author-ip":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-48488","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/48488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48488"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/48488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52404,"href":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/48488\/revisions\/52404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maritimehub.co.uk\/?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}