live_ship_position

io.github.pipeworx-io/vessel-tracking · Verify this server

Where is a specific ship right now — live AIS position for one or more vessels by MMSI number. Returns position, speed, course, navigational status and destination as currently broadcast. BEST EFFORT BY NATURE: this listens for a live broadcast rather than reading a stored position, and many vessels transmit less than once a minute, so a single call frequently hears nothing even for a ship that is definitely sailing. Measured behaviour, not a caveat for form. Improve the odds with a longer window_seconds, or use live_ships_in_area if you know roughly where the ship is. For a guaranteed last-known position rather than a live catch, use vesselfinder_vessel (paid key). COVERAGE IS PARTIAL AND TERRESTRIAL — there is no receiver coverage in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman or Red Sea, so this tool cannot answer questions about those waters (use chokepoint_status for Hormuz/Suez/Bab el-Mandeb transit counts instead). Counts are vessels heard during a listening window of a few seconds, not a complete count of vessels present.