Maritime glossary
Knot
A unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, the standard measure of a vessel’s speed.
Definition
A knot is one nautical mile per hour, about 1.852 kilometres per hour. It is the universal unit for ship and wind speed at sea. The name comes from the old chip log, a line knotted at regular intervals and paid out behind the ship to time her speed. Speed over ground from AIS is given in knots; a laden bulker cruises around 12 to 14 knots, a container ship 16 to 22.
How Vessel Hunter uses Knot
Speed in knots from the AIS feed is what Vessel Hunter uses to forecast ETA and flag unexpected slow-downs or diversions.
How Vessel Hunter handles AIS →
Related terms
- Nautical Mile
A unit of distance at sea, equal to one minute of latitude, about 1,852 metres.
- ETAEstimated Time of Arrival
The forecast time at which a vessel is expected to arrive at its next port or waypoint.
- AISAutomatic Identification System
The VHF radio system every commercial vessel uses to broadcast its position, course, and identity.
The bigger picture
Knot is one piece of the commercial maritime picture Vessel Hunter pulls together for shipyards, suppliers, service providers, and port agents. Every vessel record bundles AIS, ownership, inspections, dry-dock history, casualty record, classification status, and a verified contact for the operator decision-maker behind the ship, so the team that reaches out first wins the work.
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