MarineTraffic, the world’s most trusted AIS vessel tracking service, has started supplying geographical positioning data to the Equasis project. Equasis is a European Commission initiative started in 2000 to make ship safety information more widely available.
The Equasis project makes information including a vessel’s age, ownership, management, flag, classification society, P&I club and recent geographical positions available via an online database that is freely accessible worldwide to registered users. It helps promote the exchange of unbiased information and transparency in maritime transport, closely aligning it to MarineTraffic company values and aims.
By providing factual information, Equasis believes that its users will be able to build their own opinion on a ship or a company and to act accordingly.
MarineTraffic, along with other AIS data providers, is supplying Equasis with vessel position information via its network of over 2,000 AIS receiving stations located in more than 165 countries, and has become a member of the Equasis board.
Argyris Stasinakis, Partner at MarineTraffic said:
“We are very excited to have joined Equasis and look forward to supporting the project through supply of vessel position information and promoting the service on social media.
We are supplying high quality, position data collected using our global AIS network which will be updated on the Equasis website on a weekly basis.
In the future, Equasis users will also have access to vessel pictures provided by MarineTraffic from our extensive vessel photo database.
MarineTraffic has a vision – to make the maritime ecosystem more efficient and transparent. The Equasis project was established with a very similar vision – we are delighted to be partnering with such a likeminded initiative.”
It is with great pleasure that we welcome on board of Equasis a new data-provider: @MarineTraffic pic.twitter.com/66K7Y0df22
— Equasis (@equasis_news) December 18, 2015
The first Equasis “Memorandum of Understanding” (MoU) was signed by a small number of quality-minded Maritime Administrations in 2002. The project now counts ten members on its Supervisory Committee:
- France – founding member
- European Commission, represented by the European Maritime Safety agency (EMSA) – founding member
- United Kingdom
- Japan
- United States of America
- Norway
- Canada
- Republic of Korea
- Brazil
- Spain