I don't know if this has been posted here, but if you're interesting in a live ship tracking site check this out:
http://www.aislive.com/AISLivePortal/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=1

You need to create an account, but it's quick and free and worth it. It shows all the ships in selected regions and tracks them live.

Here is a section of Europe
http://aisfree.aislive.com/image.aspx?Map=Europe Overview&SelectMode=area

And the busiest seaway in the world, the English Channel:
http://aisfree.aislive.com/image.aspx?Map=Dover Straits&SelectMode=area

Here is a snapshot of around NY
http://aisfree.aislive.com/image.aspx?Map=New York Overview&SelectMode=area

It doesn't cover every part of the world, but is still facinating.

This link shows major ships on a global map
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shiplocations.phtml

Does this service track ships out at sea or only those near the ports and coastlines? The ocean seems a bit empty.

^ When I first came across it, it was entirely free and tracked the ships everywhere, now that is only part of the subscription service. It's still facinating to see the ships close to port though.

It also used to track the ships realtime in the free service, so you could actually watch all those arrows moving, but again, now you have to pay for it.

Hi, and sorry for bumping this thread but I thought I would let you know the sites I use ;)

I use Shipplotter and a Comar AIS2 USB receiver with a Slimjim (homebrew) and feed my data to several sites (as Coastwatch and Ravy Davy) including:

http://aprs.fi which has good coverage of the USA and Europe
http://www.vesseltracker.com/app (data is delayed unless you subscribe) you get free subscription if you share your data.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?centerx=30&centery=25&zoom=2&level1=140 (good world coverage) my station ID is 184. http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?oldmmsi=184
http://www.shipais.com/ Good UK coverage.
I have also been given a free account from http://www.shippingexplorer.net/ for sharing my data with them.

I hope these are of interest, there are of course many others and I would be please to see them posted here.

Cheers 'n' Beers,

David.........

Thanks and no problems at all. Thanks for the links
:cheers:

AIS Live was changed into Atlantic Source:
http://www.atlantic-source.com/trafico-maritimo

Traffic around Greek islands:
http://www.parosweb.com/traveltoparos/marine-traffic.html

Marine Traffic is available also on Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.marinetraffic&hl=pl

Website about VTS (Vessel Traffic Service) around the world:
http://www.worldvtsguide.org/

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