MarineTraffic lastingly collects data on ship positions. The accumulated data enables the creation of Density Maps so that anyone can get a picture of the most traveled sea routes around the globe. All the recorded data of all vessels during the past years is taken into account in order to provide MarineTraffic users with detailed Density Maps.
Density Maps can be overlaid on every single Map Type to provide you with a complete picture of global marine activity!
The map itself is fully responsive during that time so that you can zoom in or out as you usually do and focus on the areas you are most interested in.
In general, the zoom level varies from 2 (completely zoomed out) to 11 (completely zoomed in). You can always know the zoom level that is currently active by having a look at the URL address (as shown in the following picture).
Additionally, to use Density Maps to their full extent and display info per Vessel Type you will need to be subscribed to the Fleet Management solution or the Enterprise Plan.
To learn how you can activate the Density Maps, please click here.
Larger vessels, such as cargo vessels and tankers, can be further categorized into sub-categories based on their means of measuring their size.
The size ranges, as mentioned in the table below, are used by MarineTraffic to further categorize the recorded vessels in Advanced Density Maps:
VESSEL TYPE | SUB-CATEGORY | SIZE (in DWT) |
CARGO VESSELS | HANDYSIZE | 0 - 39,999 |
CARGO VESSELS | HANDYMAX | 40,000 - 59,999 |
CARGO VESSELS | PANAMAX+ | 60,000 - 119,999 |
CARGO VESSELS | CAPESIZE+ | > 120,000 |
TANKERS | HANDYSIZE | 0 - 39,999 |
TANKERS | HANDYMAX/PANAMAX/MR/LR1 | 40,000 - 79,999 |
TANKERS | AFRAMAX - LR2 | > 80,000 |
VESSEL TYPE | SUB-CATEGORY | SIZE (in TEU) |
CONTAINER SHIPS | FEEDERS | 0 - 3,000 |
CONTAINER SHIPS | LARGE | > 3,000 |
Note: Keep in mind that the categorization is not universal. You may come across slightly different size ranges per Category.