What vessels are required to use AIS? | Global Fishing Watch (2024)

FAQs

What vessels are required to use AIS? | Global Fishing Watch? ›

The IMO requires AIS use by all vessels >500GT, for any vessel >300GT that is on an “international voyage” and for all passenger vessels: IMO Revised Guidelines for the Onboard Operation Use of Shipborne AIS – A. 1106(29) 22 AIS should always be in operation when ships are underway or at anchor.

The United States requires all fishing vessels over 65 feet to transmit AIS while operating in U.S. navigable waters, defined by the Coast Guard as the territorial seas of the U.S., which extend 12 nautical miles from shore.

(1) A vessel of 300 gross tonnage or more, on an international voyage. (2) A vessel of 150 gross tonnage or more, when carrying more than 12 passengers on an international voyage.

SOLAS requirements: The IMO Convention for the Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) Regulation V/19.2. 4 requires all vessels of 300 GT and above engaged on international voyages and all passenger ships irrespective of size to carry AIS onboard.

The automatic identification system, or AIS, transmits a ship's position so that other ships are aware of its position.

The regulation requires AIS to be fitted aboard all ships of 300 gross tonnage and upwards engaged on international voyages, cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and upwards not engaged on international voyages and all passenger ships irrespective of size.

The IMO requires AIS use by all vessels >500GT, for any vessel >300GT that is on an “international voyage” and for all passenger vessels: IMO Revised Guidelines for the Onboard Operation Use of Shipborne AIS – A. 1106(29) 22 AIS should always be in operation when ships are underway or at anchor.

Can fishing vessels turn off their AIS? Fishing vessels can turn off their AIS – and Global Fishing Watch can help detect when this appears to occur. We can also flag instances where ships disappear or appear suddenly, jump thousands of miles at once, or appear to fish on land.

The American Iron and Steel (AIS) provision requires USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Water and Environmental Programs (WEP) assistance recipients to use iron and steel products that are produced in the United States.

What AIS type is mandated by SOLAS to be installed on ships? ›

SOLAS Requirements

There are two AIS classes: A and B. The first is mandatory for all ships of 300 gross tonnages and above engaged in international voyages and all passenger ships. The latter has limited functionality and is designed for ships that do not comply with SOLAS requirements.

The SOLAS Convention sets out the minimum standards for how ships should be built, equipped, and operated to ensure their safety. This includes guidelines for the structure, machinery, electrical equipment, fire protection, life-saving appliances, radio communications, navigation safety, and cargo carriage.

AIS works via a combination of GPS, VHF radio, and an AIS transponder. The transponder broadcasts a ship's information, such as speed and heading (information gathered by GPS, of course), the ship's name, port of origin, size and draft, and more, over VHF frequencies 161.975 megahertz and 162.025 MHz.

Commercial vessels weighing more than 300 gross tons or over 65 feet, certain passenger vessels, commercial vessels, and ships carrying hazardous cargo are required by U.S. and international law to have AIS. Class B, for recreational boats, is fully interoperable with Class A, and both vessels will "see" each other.

The following vessels are required to install and use a Class A AIS transponder: All commercial vessels of 65 feet or more in length (except as defined below) Towing vessels of 26 feet or more in length and more than 600 horsepower.

The International Maritime Organization's International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires AIS to be fitted aboard international voyaging ships with 300 or more gross tonnage (GT), and all passenger ships regardless of size.

No, you don't have to have AIS, just like most boaters aren't required to have radar or an EPIRB. Heck, many recreational boaters ply inland lakes, bays, and rivers in areas where commercial traffic isn't too much of an issue in the first place.