Marine traffic is the movement of ships at sea, and a marine traffic map shows it live. Every merchant ship broadcasts its position over AIS. Receivers on the coast and on satellites collect those signals, and the map draws each ship at its latest position with its name, type, course and speed.
A free marine traffic map, no registration
Ships.com.ua shows the live AIS map without sign-up. Enter the ship's IMO number in the search box, or open a direct link such as www.ships.com.ua/en?imo=NUMBER to go straight to the ship. If you only know the ship's name, find its MMSI first.
Maps by region
To watch a particular sea, strait or coast, open one of the regional maps. Each one opens already zoomed to its area, for example the Black Sea.
How current is the data?
Positions update in real time as signals arrive. Out at sea, far from shore receivers, a position can be delayed, which matters little given how slowly ships move compared with the distances they cover.