AIS vulnerability?

[Crewdog]

We don't have AIS installed yet, but I did see this article on BBC News website:

Ship trackers 'vulnerable to hacking', experts warn

thought it might make some good Sunday reading.

Bill

 

[knotflying]

I don't have AIS yet either, but have been using an app called Marine Traffic and it seems to work pretty well.

 

[bbrh842]

Marine Traffic may not always be "Real Time". Example. I was looking at Carnival Triumph on Marine Traffic as it approached Galveston Texas from the Gulf of Mexico. Marine Traffic showed the vessel about 10 miles out from the end of the jetties. I switched to the Web Cam in Galveson and was STUNNED to see the ship approaching the cruise ship dock !!!!! This may have been an isolated incident. Just saying.............it happened.

 

[knotflying]

There is a time delay on the marine traffic app and it usually tells you how old the info is. I have not had an issue yet regarding the time delay.

 

[Lobo]

I use shipfinder.com on my iPhone. Two versions: free with a @ 20 minute delay and $5 that is pretty much right on time. Search for shipfinder at the app store.

dAVE

 

[Don and Brenda]

I also use Shipfinder, while sometimes there is a delay and it states so right on the website I find the free version to be for the most part right on, I will tract boats sitting at the house and then watch them cruise by. In Washington even the Victoria clippers that are moving at 29K are accurate, I have seen them in the wrong place a few times like up on land at Whidbey, also tugs pulling logs doing 3-4K are right on the mark, so the free version is good for me. On the boat I use Standard Horizon 2150 with AIS built-in.

 

[HRowland]

Internet based AIS is dependant on land based volunteers that install receivers and forward the AIS data to the AIS hubs via the internet. Some boats are also equipped to provide AIS data to the hubs. The major hubs share data. I use Boat Beacon which also can send your data as psuedo AIS via an internet connection. Only other users of internet based AIS will see me, real AIS recievers will not see it. The iNavX chart plotter app can also display AIS data if you have an internet connection (or a real AIS receiver that can send data to an iPad/iPhone).
I have found the internet based AIS is usually good and reasonably current based on comparison to physical sightings of traffic, but I have had times when nothing at all was displayed for the Narragansett bay area. There are only a small number of volunteers in this area, if they are all off line then you have a local blackout.

Howard