Where's My Ship Right Now

Have you ever wondered if there's a way to find out where a ship is located? There are many times when you might be curious about the location of a cruise ship or other vessel.  The most practical situation that comes to mind is when hearing about inclement weather or some other natural disaster.   Are there any ships in danger?


How vessel positions are recorded

The system is based on AIS (Automatic Identification System). Since December 2004, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires all vessels over 299GT to carry an AIS transponder on board, which transmits their position, speed and course, among some other static information, such as vessel’s name, dimensions and voyage details.

The chart above is a live interactive map generated by MarineTraffic.com,  an academic, open, community-based project. It is dedicated to collecting and presenting data which are exploited in research areas such as simulation of vessel movements in order to contribute to the safety of navigation and to cope with critical incidents.

More about AIS

AIS is initially intended to help ships avoid collisions, as well as assisting port authorities to better control sea traffic. AIS transponders on board vessels include a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, which collects position and movement details. It includes also a VHF transmitter, which transmits periodically this information on two VHF channels (frequencies 161.975 MHz and 162.025 MHz – old VHF channels 87 & 88) and make this data available to the public domain. Other vessels or base stations are able to receive this information, process it using special software and display vessels locations on a chart plotter or on a computer.

 Some Ship Tracking Resources

 

 Live Ships Map - AIS - Vessel Traffic and Positions

 Cruise ships and ocean liners

  FleetMon - the first public Ship Wiki, your tool for live ...

  Shiptracking.eu - Real time ship traffic

 

 

 

 

 

Igor Expected to Become a Hurricane

5-Day Forecast Cone for Hurricane IGOR (Credit: NOAA NHC)

Click for Current 5-Day Graphic

Igor is 9th Named Storm in Atlantic

Now a Category ONE Hurricane

Port of Bermuda Closed:  September 17-21  

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

UPDATE: 500 PM AST TUE SEP 21 2010
...IGOR BECOMES POST-TROPICAL...
 

Last NHC adivisories were issued on  Hurricane IGOR and  Tropical Storm JULIA 
Last NHC advisory issued on KARL

Updates from the Islands -
- - Bermuda - -

Locals from the Islands of Bermuda are providing updates (link above) on the approaching storm complete with pictures. We hope everyone on Bermuda Stays Safe.   

IGOR WAS A WEAKER HURRICANE THAN ANTICIPATED

 AS IT APPROACHED BERMUDA

Storm Aftermath in Bermuda... At first light, the people of Bermuda breathe a sigh of relief as they realize IGOR wasn't the predicted strength as it came ashore.  It came ashore as a Category One and not the originally predicted Category Two or Three.  Winds of 75 MPH with gusts of 90 MPH or so are much better than those in excess of 100 MPH with higher gusts.

As expected, IGOR did stay a long time due to it's massive size.   There were the anticipated power outages, wind damage, and flooding.   BELCO, the local electric company, is making plans to restore power to over 28,000 customers Monday morning.    According to local police reports, there were no fatalities or major injuries reported.

Continuing updates and news articles from Bermuda ...   click here

NEW ... NHC Live Video Updates


BDA Airport Closed
September 18th 6 PM - 21st 3 PM

See below for Cruise Line Updates

At this time,  only Hurricane Igor remains as a big threat to the region.    Hurricane Julia is now a tropical storm and Hurricane Karl has become a tropical depression after slamming into Mexico. Conditions in Bermuda will continue to deteriorate this weekend.  The eye of the storm will be closest to Bermuda late Sunday or early Monday.

As a service to our readers, we have RSS feeds from the NHC which can provide up to date information about these tropical storms.   We will also monitor the cruise lines for any itinerary changes as a result of the storms.   A special thank you to the NHC, NOAA, the cruise lines, and others who have contributed to this blog by providing updates on this very serious tropical cyclone.

LAST PUBLIC ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER ON IGOR.  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS SYSTEM CAN BE FOUND
IN HIGH SEAS FORECASTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...
UNDER AWIPS HEADER NFDHSFAT1 AND WMO HEADER FZNT01 KWBC.
 

Earlier ...

Tropical Storm Igor was strengthening  Saturday September 11th and threatening to become a Hurricane.   On Sunday morning, September 12th, the storm did strengthen into a Category Two Hurricane.  The storm is going through a period of rapid intensification and as predicted has become a Major Hurricane (Category Four) within 12 hours.

There are no watches or warnings, but we will continue to monitor this storm for potential dangers.  The current storm track appears to take it over open waters for the next few days.  Igor appears to have its sights on Bermuda as it churns along with Julia in the open waters of the Atlantic.   This is the first time since the late 90s that two major hurricanes were in the Atlantic at the same time.

Current Watches & Warnings

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND FROM STONES COVE NORTHWARD AND EASTWARD
TO FOGO ISLAND
 
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND FROM BURGEO NORTHWARD AND EASTWARD
TO TRITON
* THE ISLANDS OF ST-PIERRE AND MIQUELON
 
THESE WATCHES AND WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE DISCONTINUED THIS EVENING
OR TONIGHT. (21 Sep)

 

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 48 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA. A WARNING IS TYPICALLY ISSUED
36 HOURS BEFORE THE ANTICIPATED FIRST OCCURRENCE OF TROPICAL-STORM-
FORCE WINDS...CONDITIONS THAT MAKE OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT
OR DANGEROUS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE
RUSHED TO COMPLETION. 

A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE
WITHIN THE WATCH AREA.  A WATCH IS TYPICALLY ISSUED 48 HOURS
BEFORE THE ANTICIPATED FIRST OCCURRENCE OF TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE
WINDS...CONDITIONS THAT MAKE OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR
DANGEROUS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE
THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

Discussion & Outlook
  

SUMMARY OF 500 PM AST...2100 UTC...INFORMATION (21 Sep)

LOCATION...49.3N 51.7W
ABOUT 125 MI...200 KM NNE OF ST. JOHNS NEWFOUNDLAND
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...80 MPH...130 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NNE OR 25 DEGREES AT 39 MPH...63 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...950 MB...28.05 INCHES

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 80 MPH...130 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24
HOURS...BUT THE CYCLONE SHOULD BEGIN TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN BY LATE
WEDNESDAY.
 
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 520
MILES...835 KM.
 
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 950 MB...28.05 INCHES.

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

WIND...WINDS OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE AND VERY NEAR HURRICANE
FORCE...ESPECIALLY IN GUSTS...ARE OCCURRING IN PARTS OF
NEWFOUNDLAND.  THESE WINDS WILL LIKELY DIMINISH TONIGHT AS IGOR
MOVES FARTHER TO THE NORTH.
 
RAINFALL...THE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL THREAT OVER NEWFOUNDLAND
ASSOCIATED WITH IGOR HAS COME TO AN END.  RAINFALL WILL BE TAPERING
OFF THIS EVENING AS IGOR MOVES RAPIDLY NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD.
 
SURF...LARGE SWELLS ALONG THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES WILL
BE SUBSIDING TONIGHT.  SWELLS WILL BE SLOW TO SUBSIDE IN NOVA
SCOTIA...NEWFOUNDLAND...PUERTO RICO...THE VIRGIN ISLANDS...
HISPANIOLA...AND PORTIONS OF THE BAHAMAS DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS.  THESE SWELLS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND
RIP CURRENTS. PLEASE CONSULT PRODUCTS FROM YOUR LOCAL WEATHER
OFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

 Cruise Line Advisories

No New Advisories Issued since IGOR left Bermuda

Changes in cruise itineraries have been made due to storm surge and surf predicted with Hurricane Igor.   Bermuda Marine Forecast        NEW ...  NHC unveils new Storm Surge web page
 

Carnival Cruise Line :

No current advisories due to Hurricane Igor

September 14, 2010

Carnival Dream will swap its St. Maarten and St. Thomas calls. The ship will now visit St. Maarten on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and St. Thomas on Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

MSC CRUISES:

IMPORTANT TRAVEL ALERT!! Please note that due to severe weather conditions in the Atlantic Ocean, the MSC Poesia will not be calling in Hamilton, Bermuda on September 18th as originally scheduled. Instead, she will sail to Boston as detailed below:


Arrival: Saturday, September 18th 9:00am
Departure: Monday, September 20th 7:00am


After sailing along the US Coast, the ship will arrive in New York City on Tuesday, September 21 as scheduled. Please keep in mind that this change in itinerary is to ensure the safety of all guests and crew aboard the MSC Poesia.

Norwegian Cruise Line:


Updated September 17, 2010 at 9:30 AM EST

At Norwegian Cruise Line, the safety and security of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the company is closely monitoring the paths of Hurricane Igor, Hurricane Julia and Hurricane Karl.

As Hurricane Igor is forecasted to pass over the island of Bermuda this weekend, Norwegian Spirit’s itinerary has changed. The ship will now sail to Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida and Nassau, Bahamas. The ship will depart Boston today as scheduled at 4 p.m. and spend two days at sea before it arrives in Orlando on Monday, September 20 and then to Nassau on Tuesday, September 21.

All other Norwegian ships will depart their respective homeports according to the published schedule.

Any further updates will be posted to ncl.com.


Royal Caribbean International:

September 17, 2010  11:00 a.m. E.S.T

Due to the forecasted path of Hurricane Igor, Royal Caribbean International is altering the itineraries of Enchantment of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas.

Enchantment of the Seas will be unable to make its scheduled port call to Bermuda. The Port of Bermuda will be closed beginning Friday, September 17 and is not scheduled to reopen until Tuesday, September 21 due to the forecasted path of Hurricane Igor. As a result, Enchantment of the Seas will now sail to Nassau, Bahamas, were it will arrive on Monday, September 20, and stay overnight until noon on Tuesday, September 21.

Majesty of the Seas will be unable to make its scheduled port call to CocoCay on Saturday, September 18, as scheduled. The ship will now sail directly to Nassau and stay overnight until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 19. Majesty of the Seas is sailing a three-night Bahamas itinerary, which will depart the Port of Miami on September 17.

Monarch of the Seas will be unable to make its scheduled port call to CocoCay on Sunday, September 19, as scheduled. The ship will now stay overnight in Nassau until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 19. Monarch of the Seas is sailing a three-night Bahamas itinerary, which will depart Port Canaveral on September 17.

No other Royal Caribbean International ship's itinerary is currently being affected by Hurricane Igor. Royal Caribbean will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will update this information if there are any additional itinerary alterations due to the storm's projected path.

Although the itinerary modifications are clearly caused by weather and a situation beyond the line's control, the line said it will provide— "as a gesture of goodwill and to thank guests for their understanding"— each stateroom with an onboard credit. If guests opt to not sail on the revised itinerary, they also may cancel and receive a letter of credit for the amount of the cruise paid to Royal Caribbean. That letter of credit may be applied to a future Royal Caribbean cruise. No other Royal Caribbean International ship's itinerary is currently being affected by Hurricane Igor. Royal Caribbean will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will update this information if there are any additional itinerary alterations due to the storm's projected path. Celebrity Cruises: Tropical Weather Update - (September 15, 2010 - 4:00 p.m  E.S.T) - At this time, Celebrity Cruises is closely monitoring the path and progress of Hurricane Igor to ensure guests enjoy safe and comfortable cruises, and to make certain our ships steer clear of the storm. The safety of our guests and crew is always the foremost concern of Celebrity Cruises. Given Hurricane Igor's current location and projected path, Celebrity Cruises has not altered the itineraries of any ships. Celebrity Cruises will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will update this information if there are any changes to the storms' projected path.

Tropical Storm Resources (click links below)
Hurricane IGOR	National Hurricane Center
Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook	National Weather Service
Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion	Hurricane Preparedness
Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (ATL)	Real-Time Hurricane Information
Active Storms	NOAA Satellites & Information
NASA: Latest Storm Images	WMO Severe Weather Information Centre
Real-time Monitoring (Atlantic)	The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
Real-time Weather Sites	Real-Time Cruise Ship Tracking

Hurricane Jimena Approaches Category 5

Satellite Image Courtesy of NOAA (NESDIS) - Hurricane Jimena - August 31, 2009 - AVN Enhanced <more images>

Hurricane Jimena Grows in Strength - Heading Towards Baja

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

We continue to monitor this dangerous hurricane as it tracks toward Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and the surrounding area. Click on the following link for ongoing updates several times a day.

Monitoring Hurricane Jimena in East Pacific

Hurricane Hunter aircraft have flown through Hurricane Jimena and measured the current sustained maximum wind spead to be 150 MPH with higher gusts. It is very close to becoming a Category 5 (the highest designation on the Saffir-Simpson Scale ).

Tropical Storm - winds 39-73 mph (34-63 kt)
Category 1 - winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt)
Category 2 - winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt)
Category 3 - winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt)
Category 4 - winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt)
Category 5 - winds 156 mph and up (135+ kt)

JIMENA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA AND PORTIONS OF WESTERN MEXICO DURING THE NEXT 2 DAYS... WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES.

A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE ALONG WITH BATTERING WAVES WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING ALONG THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA.

Cruise Ship Itinerary Changes

As you might expect, there have been itinerary changes made to keep passengers and crew a safe distance from the hurricane's path. Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have cruise ships in the area and have modified itineraries:
The Carnival Elation August 29 departure from San Diego will visit Catalina on Tuesday and Ensenada on Wednesday.
The Carnival Splendor August 30 departure from Long Beach will visit Catalina on Monday and Ensenada on Tuesday.
Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas August 30 departure sailed west to avoid the storm for the planned sea day, and will inform the passengers of additional changes later today as they continue to monitor the storm.

Updates: <CARNIVAL> <Royal Caribbean>

Live Cruise Ship and Ocean Liner Tracking:<Interactive tracking map> See where ships are relative to tropical storms.

Our continuing coverage of this powerful hurricane can be found on: Monitoring Hurricane Jimena in East Pacific

In addition, NHC advisories are updated via RSS feed for both Jimena and Kevin (which has now become a tropical depression).

Hurricane Bill Passes Bermuda

Still time for Golf ... As Hurricane Bill approached Bermuda

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

As a service to my clients and readers, I continue to monitor Hurricane Bill. If you are looking for updates on the hurricane and impact to your cruise, click the following link.

Keeping an Eye on Hurricane Bill / Cruise Ship Impact

That post has updates several times a day, including information about any changes to cruise itineraries as a result of the tropical storm.

BERMUDA UPDATE

Credit: NASAOES Project

The islands of Bermuda were spared a direct hit as Hurricane Bill passed between Bermuda and the East Coast of the United States as predicted. Since Hurricane Bill's closest point is now northeast of the islands, the hurricane watch has ended. That doesn't mean that danger doesn't remain. A tropical storm watch is still in effect and should remain so as winds continue until around midday Saturday. High swells, dangerous surf and deadly rip-currents will continue well into the weekend, especially along South Shore. Hurricane force gusts are still possible early today in association with squally showers and thunderstorms. According to a source on the islands, it has been a windy night with numerous power outages caused by the tropical storm gusts. Bermuda's electric company has worked through the night but there are approximately 3800 customers still without power. Rain and thnderstorms rolled through Bermuda starting around 9 PM Friday accompanied by heavy winds in excess of 50 or 60 MPH. The forecast for today is cloudy with occasional light rain or showers and strong to gale force gusts. Tomorrow will see some sun and occasional showers and thunder. <Bermuda Weather Service> Fortunately for the residents and tourists of Bermuda, Hurricane Bill will soon only be a memory as it continues its path northward towards the Atlantic Canada region and beyond. As power is restored, and the tropical storm continues to move away, services (such as ferry operations) will resume. For cruise passengers arriving Monday, on the Grandeur of the Seas, they should expect sun with some morning showers and temperatures in the upper 80s. The return home should be much smoother than the trip across to Bermuda. Happy cruising in calmer seas !!