Arrival port and time are estimated for vessels to support planning and compliance monitoring and are available in the journey summary and track history for selected vessels. Changes to the destination, from self reported AIS data, are shown in the vessel's history.
The vessel list supports planning and prioritisation and provides information on; port of departure, the vessel’s journey, and the next port including arrival estimates.
How arrival estimation works
The estimated arrival port is determined using information from three sources (where available) in order of priority.
Source | Description | Displayed in app |
Port schedule (only for New Zealand first arrival ports) | From a first arrivals port indicating a vessel arriving within seven days that has entered NZs 400nm. | Tauranga, New Zealand Est. arrival window
Based on port schedule
|
Vessel movement (only for New Zealand first arrival ports)
| Based on vessel velocity and shortest path to a first arrivals port. The shortest path is calculated using Dijkstra’s algorithm and a node network that covers water access routes. Only applies to sailing vessels that have entered NZs 400nm. | Tauranga, New Zealand Est. arrival window
Based on vessel movement |
Self reported AIS data | Destination matched to the corresponding UN/LOCODE where possible, and the most recent self reported date. | Tauranga, New Zealand (NZ TRG) Est. arrival time
Self reported on time
|
What is self reported AIS destination data?
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) guidelines advise a vessel’s crew to manually input their destination and ETA, as AIS voyage information, at the start of their voyage and whenever changes occur. It is recommended that the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Location (UN/LOCODE) are used for the destination¹.
When the manually entered destination matches a UN/LOCODE the corresponding port name and country are displayed in Starboard and the information entered by the crew is placed inside brackets. When there is no match only the information entered by the crew is displayed.
AIS reported destination is voluntary and because it is manually entered it may be missing or incorrect for vessels. In some cases it may not be entered due to concerns over security or commercial sensitivity².
How it works: NZ first arrival ports
Port schedules
Port schedules are used when approval has been granted by a port manager. These schedules however are only an indication of the intention of a vessel to arrive and their accuracy is not guaranteed.
The estimated arrival time window
An arrival window is calculated with a 70% confidence of the vessel arriving within the window. For example, if a vessel is estimated to arrive in 24 hours the arrival window will show the vessel is due to arrive sometime in the next 18–30 hours.
As the arrival time nears the size of the arrival window is narrowed. For example, if a vessel is estimated to arrive in the next 4 hours the arrival window will show the vessel due to arrive sometime in the next 3–6 hours.
Table 1. List of first arrival ports used in estimation³
Region | Ports |
Northland | Opua Marine Park |
Auckland | Bledisloe and Fergusson Terminals (freight) |
Tauranga | Port of Tauranga |
Waikato (Taharoa) | Taharoa offshore buoy |
Gisborne | Eastland Port |
Napier | Napier Port |
New Plymouth | Port Taranaki |
Wellington | Wellington Harbour |
Picton | Picton Harbour |
Nelson | Port Nelson |
Christchurch (Lyttelton) | Lyttelton Harbour |
Timaru | Timaru Port |
Dunedin (Port Chalmers) | Port Chalmers |
Invercargill (Bluff and Tiwai Point) | Tiwai Point |
References
International Maritime Organisation (IMO). (2015). Revised guidelines for the onboard operational use of shipborne Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1106(29).pdf
GreenVoyage2050 Project Coordination Unit. (2021). Ship-Port Interface Guide. International Maritime Organisation. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/MediaCentre/Documents/Ship-Port%20Interface%20Guide.pdf
Ministry for Primary Industries. Places of first arrival – seaports. 2020; (12 September). Accessed 17 August 2021. https://www.mpi.govt.nz/resources-and-forms/registers-and-lists/places-of-first-arrival-seaports/