Tanker Tracker

Open a tanker view, then check the individual report

The button opens Ships mode with the Tanker vessel-type control selected. It filters the available ship collection rather than requesting a complete list of the world's tankers. Move to the coast or harbour you want to explore, select an available vessel and read its identity, source and observation time. An empty filtered view means there are no matching records available in that view; it does not establish that the waterway is empty or that a particular tanker has stopped transmitting.

1. Confirm that the Tanker type button is active. Other water-area or flag filters can narrow the results further. A flag-country filter selects the reported vessel flag, not every ship geographically inside that country's waters.
2. Select a marker or a matching loaded-vessel search result. Compare the MMSI, name and reported type before deciding that it is the vessel you intended to find.
3. Check the report age before reading the position, speed or course. Keep missing destination or cargo details unknown, and retain the source time if you share an observation.

What the tanker type filter actually selects

PocketWorld groups numeric AIS vessel-type codes 80 through 89 as tankers. The US Coast Guard's AIS Message 5 reference places tankers in the type group beginning with 8 and describes the separate static and voyage fields. The map filter uses the reported code. It does not classify a ship from a familiar-looking name, a nearby oil terminal or the direction of its movement. If a usable type code is missing, a vessel can appear in the broader map without appearing in this category.

This category is not a cargo manifest. It does not establish whether a vessel currently carries crude oil, refined products, chemicals or gas, or whether it is in ballast. The application has no separate LNG cargo-confirmation filter. Likewise, a tanker label does not by itself determine a commercial size class, amount on board, charterer or ownership. Use an appropriate dated source for those questions instead of deriving an answer from the colour or position of a marker.

Reading tanker observations near the United States

The Coast Guard's AIS FAQ explains that position reports and static or voyage information arrive in different messages. A position can therefore be available before a useful name or type. Check the fields separately. Our US AIS identity guide explains MMSI and IMO identifiers and points to the official identity-checking resources; a name match alone is not enough to identify a renamed or similarly named ship.

A tanker near a port is not automatically in a known loading queue, and a destination string does not confirm a terminal appointment. If your question is about a change in tanker activity over months, the US historical AIS guide is a more suitable starting point than a snapshot of today's map. Define the area, dates and vessel class before comparing records; multiple reports from one transmitter are not multiple separate ships.

Canadian waters and the limits of a public map

The Canadian Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Services overview describes an operational system that uses AIS, radio and surveillance tools. A public website's tanker filter is not that system and does not provide its clearances or complete traffic picture. Our Canadian AIS coverage guide explains why a missing public report should remain an uncertainty rather than a claim about what an authority can see.

Keep a vessel's flag separate from the water area you are examining: a foreign-flagged tanker may be visible near a Canadian port, while a Canadian-flagged vessel may be elsewhere. Use map position for geographic context and the flag field for that specific reported attribute. For inland passage context, the Great Lakes and Seaway guide separates AIS positions from lock information and transit notices. This page offers educational vessel exploration, not navigation, collision avoidance, cargo verification or an assessment of a vessel's compliance.