Cargo Ship Tracker

Read cargo traffic without turning a position into a shipment status

A cargo ship tracker can help answer where a vessel was last reported. It cannot, by itself, answer where a particular container, consignment or purchase is. PocketWorld opens the available AIS collection with a cargo category selected, so you can inspect an identity, position and timestamp before exploring nearby traffic. For a shipment question, begin with the carrier and shipment reference. For a traffic question, begin with the reported vessel. Keeping those starting points separate prevents a plausible map location from becoming an unsupported delivery promise.

What belongs in the cargo filter

The US Coast Guard AIS message reference groups cargo ship codes at 70–79 and tanker codes at 80–89. PocketWorld uses the numeric reported type for this filter. A name containing cargo, a semantic text label without the numeric code, or a large vessel silhouette does not establish membership. The separate tanker guide and filter covers the latter reported group. These categories describe a source field; they are not an inventory of the goods currently aboard or a verification of a vessel's commercial role.

Open the map, select a received report and compare its MMSI and name with the vessel you intend to examine. Read the observation time before comparing speed, course or distance to a port. The same map position can have a very different meaning when it was received minutes ago rather than many hours ago. A manually supplied destination may be abbreviated, outdated or absent. It does not confirm a scheduled berth, the voyage's remaining duration or permission to enter a terminal.

United States: Los Angeles operations are a separate signal

The Port of Los Angeles Cargo Operations Dashboard links tools covering different aspects of port activity. Those resources are more relevant to operational questions than counting the dots near the harbour. Read the scope and access conditions of the particular tool you open: a terminal activity measure, a dwell-time series and an individual vessel observation describe different units and reporting periods. A resource linked by the port may also require registration. PocketWorld does not reproduce a private terminal system or claim access to its shipment records.

To compare a Los Angeles AIS report with port information, write down the vessel identity and the report time, then identify the date and subject of the port resource. A queue visible in a received snapshot is not a measured terminal delay. A ship at a berth is not proof that unloading has finished, and unloading is not proof that a container has been released. For cargo availability, appointments or customs status, consult the responsible carrier, terminal or other relevant service using the appropriate reference.

Canada: freight totals answer a different question

Statistics Canada's Marine International Freight Origin and Destination Survey describes freight statistics involving Canadian ports, cargo tonnage and related characteristics. That is a reference for understanding the scope of a statistical dataset, not a live vessel position feed. Compare the geography, period, unit and coverage of a published result before placing it beside an AIS view. A count of reports or visible vessels cannot be converted directly into tonnes, container units or port throughput.

For a Canadian port comparison, use the port profile directory to orient yourself geographically, then follow the responsible port or carrier for an actual operations question. A vessel's flag is not the country where its cargo originated, and a position near a coast does not establish a loading or discharge event. If a freight table groups international movements, do not treat that definition as interchangeable with every vessel visible around the same port. Preserve the table's definition when describing any comparison.

Follow the right identity through the supply chain

An MMSI identifies a vessel radio identity; a container ID, booking number and bill of lading identify different things. A container may change ships or continue by rail or road after leaving the vessel. Match the reference requested by the carrier rather than entering a shipment identifier into vessel search. When investigating a map discrepancy, keep the original observation time and source. Missing public coverage can explain a gap without implying that the ship has stopped, the cargo is delayed or a movement was concealed.

A useful traffic note states which reported cargo vessel was observed, when, and by which source, then separates that observation from any port statistic or carrier event. Avoid filling gaps with an assumed route or arrival time. Use the general AIS search guide when the cargo filter excludes a record with incomplete type metadata. This map supports exploration and comparison of available reports; navigation, port work and shipment decisions require the appropriate operational sources.