GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Aug 22, 2026

AIS Transponder (Shipping)

An analyst notices that seven container ships transited a strait without appearing on the usual tracking maps – their AIS transponders had been switched off.

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Last updated: 22 August 2026

Source: Frachtportal-News «MSC schickt sieben Containerschiffe wieder durch Suez und Bab el-Mandeb» (18.08.2026); SOLAS Kapitel V Regel 19

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Definition & Explanation

An analyst notices that seven container ships transited a strait without appearing on the usual tracking maps – their AIS transponders had been switched off. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System: a VHF radio system through which vessels automatically broadcast identity, position, course, speed and draught, and receive the same data from other ships. Introduced for collision avoidance, AIS is mandatory under SOLAS Chapter V for vessels of 300 GT and above on international voyages and for all passenger ships. Coastal stations and satellites capture the feed, which underpins virtually every commercial vessel-tracking service as well as the port and ETA forecasts freight forwarders rely on. Only where transmitting would endanger the ship or its crew may the master switch the unit off. Not to be confused with Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT), which is satellite-based and not publicly visible.

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