SHIP TRACKING GUIDE (also from e90post.com)
If you are going crazy over the location of the ship that is carrying your beloved BMW, let me offer you the benefit of my pre-occupation with tracking my E92.
There are two ways that your ship can be tracked on its voyage. When it is close to shore, the AIS (
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/enav/ais/default.htm ) is in use. This an automatic system and is limited to only ships within radio range. When your ship is out in open water, you need to rely on WMO-VOS (
http://vos.noaa.gov/vos_scheme.shtml). The problem with this system is that it is a voluntary one and not all ships participate.
Once you have determined the name of your ship there are various websites that offer you the ability to track your vessel. These sites are free and some only require you to register to get the most current updated information.
While your ship is in the North Sea, which includes the ports of Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Zeebrugge, etc., vesseltracker.com (
http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Home.html) provides up to a 2 hour delay of your ships position. This is an AIS based website. Free registration is required for this feature.
There is another AIS website, but I will not mention that now for specific reasons which I will explain later.
After your ship leaves the North Sea on her way to the Atlantic Ocean, she passes through the English Channel. You can track her movements at
http://www.ais-live.co.uk/ which is another AIS based website. This site is free, information is real-time and does not require registration.
Once through the English Channel, your ship begins her trans-Atlantic crossing. To continue tracking, you must cross your fingers and hope that your ship is one that voluntarily participates in the WMO-VOS program. If she participates, you can track her progress at
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/index.html. If you enter the ships name and can not pull up any reports, try entering her call sign.
This is a free site, information is usually updated 2 hours after a ship reports their position and registration is not required.
If your ship does not participate, figure that it takes 6-7 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean until you can resume tracking with the following website.
Earlier in this post I mentioned another AIS based website.
http://www.aislive.com/AISLIVEPORTAL...ndex=0&tabid=1 It is a global AIS tracking service that provides real-time information. It can be used for ports all over the world. The reason why you should not use it from the time your ship leaves Bremerhaven is that you need to register for a free trial which gives you only 2 weeks access to the subscriber area. This is important for those whose ships are going to ports not offered to the non-registered user or their voyage is longer than 14 days.
There also seems to be a lag in the time you first register and when you get your sign-in information. Remember to completely fill in the form.