On July 14 a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral with six next-generation AIS satellites on board.
FleetMon.com is pleased to announce that the additional AIS vessel tracking power delivered by these satellites is made fully available to users of the FleetMon platform as of today.
This newly expanded constellation of our satellite AIS partner ORBCOMM marks the largest and most powerful constellation existing today, and addresses a number of previous limitations faced when tracking vessel from space.
In addition to having more satellites detecting ship signals in space, also the number of ground stations has been vastly increased. Now ORBCOMM’s entire network of 16 ground stations is engaged, one on every continent of the globe, and ensures much more frequent downloads of the AIS messages received in space.
As a result, FleetMon users benefit from a dramatically reduced latency time and a strongly increased update rate of ship signals received from the open oceans. The overall data volume received by the satellites has easily tripled, and the ship signals from deep ocean position are displayed on FleetMon users’ screens in no more than 5-10 minutes.
Thanks to enhanced receiver technology with increased sensitivity, the new satellites detect more messages in high traffic areas and more vessels by detecting positions from lower powered transponders such as Class B transponder messages. There is also an increase in detection of AIS messages transmitted at lower data rates, such as from vessels at anchor, and static data reports, for example destination or ETA messages.
With these new capabilities, combined with FleetMon’s own terrestrial AIS network data, users are able to track vessels more accurately and precisely than has ever been possible before — with a further 11 satellites planned for deployment in late 2014!
Interested? Sign-up for a free trial of our satellite-enabled plans on FleetMon.com and get a first-hand experience of the new data quality, or talk to our sales team to discuss your project!
FleetMon is more than a vessel tracking service – We also collect for you notable and breaking news, investigations and researches related to diverse aspects of the maritime market.
Gain expert knowledge and market insight into the container shipping and tanker industry, inform yourself about incidents and accidents and stay up to date on maritime science and technology with Fleetmon’s Newsroom!
Find the information you are looking for in no time, using different filter and search options.
2. Now the revised FleetMon’s Maritime News Section encourages you to be involved in the maritime events. Thanks to the new comment module you can share your opinion and add an important information to the article or to discuss different topics with the FleetMon’s community.
Caption: Leave your comment in the note field below the article and tell us what you think or find out what other community users know about the maritime event!
3. The actuality of a certain article indicates the number of views. When reading the article you can easily head over to the detailed vessel or port information on the vessel’s and port detail pages – related vessels and ports are linked to the article. FleetMon Blog links in the Maritime Section will guide you directly to our blog-posts.
Caption: All helpful links in the FleetMon Newsroom connect you with other FleetMon’s sections in a most flexible way.
Since recently the Maritime News Section is available in the FleetMon Mobile app. Along with the spotting of the vessels on the real-time map, you can browse trough the freshest maritime news in the app!
FleetMon team hopes that you like the revised Maritime News Section and therefore invites you to become a part of this informative platform. If you are a maritime expert or enthusiast, whose passion is a constant flow of maritime events, we will be pleased to welcome you as a FleetMon News Editor.
Just get in touch and help us to develop our maritime news feeder further.
FleetMon partner Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) announces a break-through in the otherwise murky world of commodity flow tracking after its team in Europe successfully tracked vessels accounting for 97.5% of official European Commission jet fuel import statistics in Q1 2014.
Although statisticians at the European Commission publish import volumes two to three months after the vessels are booked, it has long been a cherished goal of modern oil analysis to pinpoint and track an import surge or shortfall ahead of time.
Thanks to an unparalleled team of reporters watching commodity markets internationally, the OPIS Tanker Tracker on FleetMon.com is the first real-time tracker of jet fuel and diesel into Europe to reliably forecast volumes at least two weeks before tankers arrive at ports.
The OPIS Tanker Tracker was launched a year ago, covering jet fuel only, with a database stretching back through 2012. In January, OPIS began tracking ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) being shipped into Europe, primarily from the U.S. and Russia, the region’s two biggest suppliers. OPIS offers the service in collaboration with vessel tracking service FleetMon, based in Rostock, Germany.
“This level of accuracy is the key that turns the mapping technology into bankable insight,” says veteran European distillate trader, Simon Pratt, who recently joined the OPIS vessel tracking team. “We’ve watched a fleet of fuel cargoes change destination, and prices fall steeply at that new destination.”
FleetMon’s powerful vessel tracking technology und elegant user interface enables following vessels on their global voyages up to their final destination, monitoring transports for unforeseen changes or delays, and determine accurate delivery dates.
On top of this foundation, it’s the OPIS Tanker Tracker that reveals the products aboard, and thereby, predicts market-moving total import volumes. OPIS uses its industry knowledge and extensive contacts to build a reliable list of tankers being loaded with jet fuel and diesel, detailing the buyer and seller of the fuel, or who is chartering the vessel, and then tracks ships to their final destination.
The OPIS Tanker Tracker also allows data to be downloaded into an Excel spreadsheet format, which can yield valuable market intelligence.
For example, figures from this year’s second quarter showed oil company BP was the biggest supplier of jet fuel into Europe with 780,000 tons, followed by Kuwait Petroleum Corp. at 625,000 tons. Kuwait is the biggest exporter of jet fuel to Europe on an annual basis.
During May, oil trader Vitol was seen supplying 48% of jet fuel into Europe.
Tracking of ULSD exports to Europe from Russia also provides interesting color on the commercial arrangements between Russian oil refiners and global oil traders at a time when geopolitical tensions and sanctions threaten energy supplies.
OPIS’s Accurate Shipping List Aligns with EU Data
The OPIS Tanker Tracker has shown to be extremely accurate: in the fourth quarter of 2013 it tracked 5.185 million tons of jet fuel into Europe, compared to Eurostat’s 5.347 million, a 97% success rate. Eurostat is the European Commission’s database containing trade information.
This year, the OPIS Tanker Tracker achieved a 97.5% correlation with Eurostat for first quarter jet fuel imports into 28 member countries.
The Eurostat data showed 4.26 million tons imported into Europe during the January to March period, compared to the OPIS Tanker Tracker, which tallied 4.152 million tons on 79 tankers. Monthly figures varied due to vessel slippage.
Eurostat provides trade data typically three months behind real-time imports, so OPIS Tanker Tracker subscribers have a significant, three-month advantage over official European Commission trade figures.
Contact
Tim Wright
Director, Business Development and Content
OPIS | Oil Price Information Service
Phone: +46 (0)31 970771 (UK time zone)
Email:
About OPIS
OPIS, a division of UCG, is the world’s most comprehensive source for petroleum, LPG/NGL, jet fuel and biofuels pricing and news information with offices in the U.S., Europe and Singapore and is the most widely accepted U.S. fuel price benchmark for supply contracts and competitive positioning. http://www.opisnet.com
About UCG
Founded in 1977, UCG is one of America’s leading, privately held providers of specialized business-to-business information. UCG’s portfolio is composed of companies serving the information and software needs of decision makers in health care, oil and energy, technology, telecommunications, banking and finance, and the mortgage industry. The company has received many awards for journalistic excellence and was voted one of D.C.’s 50 Best Places to Work by Washingtonian Magazine. http://www.ucg.com
About Fleetmon
FleetMon, a service of JAKOTA Cruise Systems GmbH, provides the latest in satellite-based vessel tracking and information services employing a uniquely elegant and powerful user interface. http://www.fleetmon.com
Which oil tankers are lying in the roads, waiting for an assignment in the Golf of Guinea? Or off Fujairah? And which vessels are engaged in offshore construction works in the Barents Sea?
FleetMon now has the answers that you are looking for!
Space-born tracking data has just been seamlessly integrated into FleetMon Explorer, enabling you to inspect vessel traffic and behavior in any region, all around the globe. Zoom into any area of your interest and immediately identify all vessels directly on the map.
The FleetMon team is proud to release this eye-opening functionality to all subscribers of our satellite-enabled subscription plans with immediate effect.
Have a look into the following images to discover your new possibilities with FleetMon Explorer. Or even better: Sign up for one of FleetMon’s Unlimited Sat accounts and try it yourself!
Follow the global marine traffic to the open sea with satellite AIS.
Inspect marine traffic from a global perspective and zoom into any area of your interest to identify every single ship at first sight.
Assess voyage details including last port, next destination and estimated time of arrival directly in the map. The vessel’s detail page with further ship particulars, logs and statistics is just one click away.
Monitor vessels and operations far offshore, where normal tracking methods cannot reach. Navigation charts, weather data and display of surrounding marine traffic help you improve nautical supervision, weather routing and bunker planning.
Sign up for one of FleetMon’s Unlimited Sat accounts for immediate insight into the global marine traffic here!
The FleetMon team is more than happy to announce that the FleetMon Vessel Database just hit the milestone of 100’000 extended vessel datasheets!
FleetMon not only provides fundamental data like vessel identification, category and dimensions for about 400’000 vessels detected over the last years, it adds management information and technical particulars like tonnages, detailed ship type, capacities, engine and builder information for 100’000 vessels – more than the world’s current active merchant fleet!
This tremendous success would not have been possible without the valuable input (and sometimes tireless work!) of passionate FleetMon users all over the world, who update the FleetMon datasheets with their expert knowledge.
To open this vast resource to you, we have tuned the FleetMon Vessel Database further over the last weeks. It’s now really easy to pull up, say, the list of Liberian flagged bulk carriers between 120 kt and 300 kt dead weight (there are 133 of them):
The detailed list of ship types is neatly arranged so that it is easier than ever to pick the types of your interest.
New vessel types that become increasingly important have been added (like Offshore Installation, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) vessels), several ambiguous names have been sorted out and some rather old-fashioned and rarely used ones have been removed for clarity.
We know that with this fascinating variety among the ships we see on all oceans today, there will never be a final vessel categorization system that fits all tastes and definitions in the world. However we continue to strive for a vessel type system that is clear and easy to use, does not overwhelm the enthusiast and does not leave alone the professional. That’s an ambitious goal which we cannot reach without you!
So, enjoy the FleetMon Vessel Database, dive into 100’000 vessel particulars and let us know what you think!
FleetMon provides an informative speed diagram for all vessels. It enables you to assess the speed, distance travelled and lay time of any vessel at a single glance, letting you quickly identify stops, high speed or unusual behavior.
Do you need to analyze the utilization rate of ships?
Monitor the compliance with agreed speed?
Investigate speed claims?
Review a past voyage?
Or do you wish to optimize scheduling?
FleetMon’s unique visualization of historic vessel tracking data will give you quick insight into the actual performance of ships worldwide and help you reach your goals in no time.
Read on for a detailed overview of the new Vessel Performance Log and experience its effectiveness for your daily work!
FleetMon’s Vessel Performance Log is not only an informative tool for your researches and analysis, but also easy to use:
Look up (search) any vessel of your interest,
scroll to the bottom of the ship’s detail page and
open the Voyage Log.
The map below displays the past track of the vessel. Find a smart profile chart of the visualized track, covering speed, traveled distance and lay time of the ship.
The visualized track, speed graph, as well as distance and time moving calculations are synchronized. Way points in the voyage track and speed graph reveal detailed timestamps when pointing or clicking.
Adapt the displayed track and performance log to the date range of your interest and that’s it:
Vessel’s speed is visualized in combination with the overall average and maximum speed of the ship, giving you immediate insight if the vessel’s speed is in line with its usual performance.
The distance calculated in nautical miles reflects the vessel track as displayed on the map.
The indicated moving time is compared to the total time the vessel was within AIS coverage during the selected period.
Adapt the displayed track and performance analysis to the period of your interest using the Date Range Filter. FleetMon Unlimited users can analyze a ship’s track for up to 30 days into the past.
Let us know what you think and what other functions you would like to see at FleetMon.
As usually, the team behind FleetMon will happily provide you with answers to your questions and investigate individual solutions for your tracking projects.
Within the last weeks we received a lot of feedback about FleetMon mobile. We listened carefully to your wishes and here is what we’ve made of them:
You inspired us to enhance the visualization of vessels on the map. The actual size and heading direction of ships is visible for you now, even when ships are moored or anchored. Check what’s going on in the port of your interest and enjoy this new dimension of detail.
Wow! See how a total of 3 tugs is helping the Maersk Missouri to transit a lock in Bremerhaven!
And we made things easier to use for you: Forget about the refresh button from now on. The vessel positions in the Spotting Map are updated automatically and you can actually see the ships moving on the map in real-time.
Easier than ever: Vessels move live on the map and you can change the map layers without leaving the spotter mode, using the new cogwheel icon in the toolbar on the right!
FleetMon mobile now makes you independent from standard AIS reception ranges. Users with an Unlimited Sat 15 or 50 account can follow their individual fleet to the seven seas and look up fresh satellite position updates for any ship worldwide.
Your ship is crossing the Indian Ocean? Add it to your My Fleet list and keep sight of it even when it sails on the high sea!
Last but not least, the main menu of FleetMon Mobile now includes FleetMon’s Maritime News. Get informed about what’s going on in the maritime world wherever you are!
With FleetMon mobile you’re up to date even on the go: Monitor vessel operations in port, check your fleet’s position, and browse through maritime news.
Go ahead, download FleetMon Mobile from your app store and see for yourself! And in case one of your wishes remains unfulfilled leave a comment below or contact our support team.
No matter if you are a vessel owner, freight forwarder, agent, marine analyst or ship photographer – to do your job at best, you always need to get the most up-to-date information that’s available.
The FleetMon Explorer just got enhanced by full satellite AIS tracking capabilities, and if you did not use it regularly yet, we are confident this new functionality will soon make it your tool of choice:
FleetMon Explorer’s main view represents all vessels globally within live coverage, thus providing you with several position updates per ship and minute. Enjoy monitoring ship traffic in real time and raise nautical supervision and operations monitoring to a new standard. By configuring different viewports, you can keep an eye on multiple areas of interest and situations in no time. And official electronic navigation charts with global coverage can be made available to you within minutes.
Track your fleet and other vessels of interest with FleetMon Explorer’s My Fleet list. Latest vessel positions will be displayed in a single view to allow quick assessment of status and progress. The presentation mode automatically highlights your ships and their tracks one-by-one, for supervision or presentation of your fleet on large screens. With our “Unlimited Sat” plans, users can track unlimited ships and enjoy seamless integration of satellite tracking data.
Find any vessel of your interest in the FleetMon Explorer Search View. See up-to-date information on the vessel’s destination and estimated time of arrival at a glance. Set a reference point and let FleetMon Explorer calculate distances and time till the closest point of approach. For users of FleetMon’s Unlimited Sat services the real-time tracking data is seamlessly combined with position reports captured by satellites. Assess trading routes, latest voyages and vessel behavior with a single click.
The FleetMon Team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year! Thank you so much for using FleetMon and the wonderful feedback and support provided over the year!
And isn’t Christmas the perfect time to give yourself some small treats? Well, this year, FleetMon keeps a special offer for you:
Save 15% if you upgrade your account to Pro or Unlimited!
Simply head over to the FleetMon Store, choose the package that you would like to give yourself and enter the following coupon code: XMAS15
Hurry! This offer is valid till Dezember 31st. To make use of the discount, choose “Upgrade” on our Prices & Plans page, follow the regular payment instructions and enter the above code during the last step.
All the best to you and your family,
Your FleetMon Team
Dear Cape Townians and inhabitants of South Africa!
If you haven’t put up your Christmas tree yet, we can offer you something more exciting than a green decorated conifer! What about mounting an AIS station absolutely for free and enjoying the live marine traffic of your area in the FleetMon Explorer without any limitations?
Currently FleetMon is looking for someone who is ready to become its AIS partner in South Africa by adopting an AIS station from the previous host. The AIS station is laying directly in Cape Town and is waiting to be taken into operation. The fully functional AIS equipment, consisting of a 1 meter antenna, an AIS receiver and converter device simply needs to be connected to power supply and internet. Impressive AIS reception range for South Africa can be provided, if the antenna is put at an elevated location with free sight to the water.
In addition to the free AIS equipment the new host of course will be awarded with a free FleetMon Unlimited account.
If you feel addressed or know someone living in Cape Town or on the coast of the Western Cape who could adopt the AIS station, please get in touch with us and we will arrange for the rest!
