Where the data comes from, how often it refreshes.

Live AIS: terrestrial and satellite

Vessel positions, course, speed, draught, and navigational status come from a multi-provider fusion of terrestrial AIS networks and satellite AIS feeds. Coastal coverage runs close to live (typically seconds to a minute behind the broadcast); deep ocean coverage runs on the satellite revisit cycle and is normalised into the same record format. Where two providers report the same vessel inside the same minute, Vessel Hunter dedupes on IMO and MMSI and keeps the fix it is most confident in.

Coverage spans 750,000+ commercial vessels: tankers (crude, product, chemical, LNG, LPG), bulk carriers, container ships, general cargo, RORO, reefers, offshore supply, tugs, dredgers, and more. If a vessel is broadcasting AIS, it’s on the map.

Vessel and ownership records

Ship specifications, ownership tree, manager relationships, engine and auxiliary equipment, and class standing come from classification societies (IACS members and selected non-IACS class), national ship registers, P&I clubs, IMO records, and selected commercial sources. Records are reconciled per IMO across providers, with the most recent or highest-confidence value winning each field.

Ownership data covers beneficial owner, registered owner, ISM manager, and the commercial and technical entities behind each ship. Historical ownership is preserved. When a vessel changes operator the old owner is retained on the dossier so commercial teams can track migration patterns.

Port state control and inspection data

Port state control inspection history is sourced from the major regional MoU databases (Paris MoU, Tokyo MoU, USCG, Indian Ocean MoU, Viña del Mar MoU, and others) and normalised into an inspection record per vessel with authority, deficiency count, deficiency category, and detention outcome.

Detention events are flagged on the dossier and feed the risk side of the platform. P&I clubs and marine surveyors watchlist detention triggers, while service providers and port agents use the same data to inform commercial conversations. Port state filings also feed into the beyond AIS reconstruction layer below.

Dry dock and class survey history

Dry dock history, covering yard, country, scope of work, dates, and cost where disclosed, is built from class society survey records, yard announcements, port state filings during yard stays, and selected commercial sources. The dossier shows the timeline, the scope, and the predicted next survey window inferred from intermediate, special, and bottom survey cycles per IMO and class society.

Casualty and incident records

Casualty data, covering collisions, groundings, machinery failures, fires, fatalities, and other recorded incidents, is sourced from flag state casualty reports, IMO casualty filings, P&I club bulletins, and class society conditions of class. Each event is classified by IMO severity (very serious, serious, less serious) and bundled into the vessel dossier with date, type, and a normalised summary.

Beyond AIS reconstruction

When a vessel’s AIS transponder goes dark, Vessel Hunter reconstructs an inferred route from four independent signal classes: port state filings (where the vessel actually arrived), satellite radar (SAR) detections (where it was seen from space), bunker invoices (where it refuelled), and crew list submissions (which identify the port of crew change).

Each signal is timestamped, geotagged, and surfaced on the beyond AIS dossier panel with a confidence score and a visible evidence chain, so analysts can see exactly which signals support the reconstruction. Read more about ghost vessel tracking.

The people layer: verified maritime contacts

Direct mobile numbers, verified emails, role labels (owner, technical, procurement, agency), and freshness flags are sourced and maintained by an in house team. Contacts are verified on a rolling cycle and re-checked when a vessel changes operator or management. Bounces feed straight back into the validation loop and the contact is re-verified within the same business week.

Contact data is GDPR-compliant by design. We operate under a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) that customers can sign with the order form. See the privacy policy and DPA. SOC 2 Type II is in progress; the trust report is available under NDA on request.

Curated screening lists

Sanctions lists (OFAC, EU, UK, UN, and selected secondary sources), dark fleet flags, and target account lists are maintained in house and refreshed on the same cycle as the contact layer. Curated lists can be layered on top of any company or fleet view to flag matches at a glance, and the audit log records every screening query for compliance evidence.

Refresh frequency

• AIS positions: coastal coverage close to live; satellite on the revisit cycle.
• Vessel records: continuous; reconciled daily.
• Inspections, dry dock, casualty: weekly bulk ingest plus updates driven by events.
• Contacts: rolling validation cycle; reactive on vessel manager change.
• Sanctions and screening lists: daily.

Questions about a specific source or coverage area? Get in touch or see how this data powers every platform feature.