Can you see a ship passing by out at sea? Do you wonder what it is and where its Going? Well now you can find out by visiting the superb Marine Traffic website. The International Maritime Organisation requires vessels of over 299 GT, and all passenger ships, to carry a transponder which transmits their position, course and speed, together with the vessel's name, dimensions and voyage details. The website shows all this information, complete with photographs of the ships. To go to the site just click on the container ship below and she will take you to Whitby:


"Cimbria" sailing north of Whitby. 
 We have our own Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiving station and send our data to Marine Traffic.com so the coverage around Whitby is excellent. The Whitbyweather AIS identifier is GØUBK and you can see which ships we are tracking by clicking on them. Whilst you are there, why not move the map down to take a look at the ships in the English Channel, it is really terrifying!


This Italian tanker regularly sails past Whitby, Click on the photo to find out her name and where she is now.
If you are technically minded, our AIS receiver is a Comar SLR200N fed by a V-Tronix AIS antenna and is connected directly to the Internet. The equipment was supplied by Yachtbits of Lowestoft who also provide excellent help and advice.

    Ship AIS is a UK based ship tracking site providing similar data with slightly different sources and a simpler interface. The Whitbyweather data is also uploaded to Ship AIS. Have a look and see which you prefer