To support efficient fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS), Starboard augments the AIS-reported vessel type with more granular vessel subtype data obtained from Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs).
The AIS vessel type, flag, dimensions, IMO, MMSI, and call sign are all entered manually by the crew onto the AIS transceiver and can be incorrect.
Vessel type does not include detailed information, for example, the specific subtype of a fishing vessel or whether a cargo vessel is used as a fish carrier. RFMOs collect and maintain this more detailed information in order to regulate high seas transshipment and other fishing activities.
Starboard brings in data from RFMO records and matches it to vessels reporting on AIS in the Starboard database. See How it works: Fishing registration data from RFMO records for more information.
Vessel subtypes from RFMOs are then updated in Starboard for corresponding vessels. This information can be found in the vessel details panel and in the vessel report, where available. Vessel subtypes from RFMO records are also available within Starboard’s advanced filtering under ‘Vessel type’.
In the future other vessel information will be integrated in the same way to improve the vessel information.
Current sources of vessel subtypes
In order of priority for when multiple vessel subtypes are available:
Standardisation of vessel subtypes
We use the International Standard Statistical Classification of Fishery Vessels (ISSCFV) by Vessel Types (Rev.1, 2019) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to standardise fishing vessel type names across multiple RFMOs.
Vessel details displayed in app are broadly mapped from the FAO Level 1 category, although there are a few exceptions, for example various types of support vessels
Table 1: Vessel type mappings
Vessel details | FAO code | FAO subcategory | FAO level 1 category |
Fishing - Trawler | 1.1 | Otter trawlers | Trawlers |
Fishing - Trawler | 1.2 | Pair trawlers | Trawlers |
Fishing - Trawler | 1.3 | Beam trawlers | Trawlers |
Fishing - Trawler | 1.4 | Side trawlers | Trawlers |
Fishing - Trawler | 1.5 | Stern trawlers | Trawlers |
Fishing - Trawler | 1.9 | Trawler nei | Trawlers |
Fishing - Purse seiner | 2.1 | Purse Seiners - American type | Purse seiners |
Fishing - Purse seiner | 2.2 | Purse Seiners - European type | Purse seiners |
Fishing - Purse seiner | 2.3 | Drum seiners | Purse seiners |
Fishing - Purse seiner | 2.9 | Purse seiners nei | Purse seiners |
Fishing - Seiner | 3.9 | Seiners nei | Seiners (other) |
Fishing - Dredger | 4.9 | Dredgers nei | Dredgers |
Fishing - Lift netter | 5.9 | Lift netters nei | Lift netters |
Fishing - Gillnetter | 6.1 | Drifters | Gillnetters |
Fishing - Gillnetter | 6.2 | Set netters | Gillnetters |
Fishing - Gillnette | 6.9 | Gillnetters nei | Gillnetters |
Fishing - Trap setter | 7.1 | Pot vessels | Trap setters |
Fishing - Trap setter | 7.9 | Trap setters nei | Trap setters |
Fishing - Longliner | 8.1 | Bottom longliners | Longliners |
Fishing - Longliner | 8.2 | Midwater longliners | Longliners |
Fishing - Longliner | 8.9 | Longliners nei | Longliners |
Fishing - Liner | 9.1 | Jigger vessels | Line vessels (other) |
Fishing - Liner | 9.2 | Pole and Line vessels | Line vessels (other) |
Fishing - Liner | 9.3 | Trollers | Line vessels (other) |
Fishing - Liner | 9.4 | Hand liner vessels | Line vessels (other) |
Fishing - Liner | 9.9 | Line vessels nei | Line vessels (other) |
Fishing - Multipurpose | 10.1 | Purse seine/pelagic trawlers | Multipurpose vessels |
Fishing - Multipurpose | 10.2 | Multipurpose trawlers (in combination with longline, trap, gillnet, dredge) | Multipurpose vessels |
Fishing - Multipurpose | 10.3 | Multipurpose non trawlers (longline, gillnet, trap) | Multipurpose vessels |
Fishing - Multipurpose | 10.9 | Multipurpose vessels nei | Multipurpose vessels |
Fishing - Recreation | 18.9 | Recreational fishing vessels nei | Recreational fishing vessels |
Fishing - Other | 19.9 | Other fishing vessels nei | Other fishing vessels |
Tanker - Mothership | 20.9 | Motherships nei | Motherships |
Cargo - Fish carrier | 21.1 | Refrigerated transport vessels | Fish carriers and reefers |
Cargo - Fish carrier | 21.9 | Fisher carriers and reefers nei | Fish carriers and reefers |
Tanker - Bunker | 23.1 | Bunkering tanker vessels | Support vessels |
Towing | 23.2 | Towing vessels | Support vessels |
Fishing - support | 23.9 | Support and auxiliary ships nei | Support vessels |
Other - Research and survey | 25.9 | Fishery research and survey vessels nei | Fishery research and survey vessels |
Law enforcement - Patrol | 26.9 | Patrol vessels nei | Patrol vessels |
Other - Training | 27.9 | Fishery training vessels | Fishery training vessels |
Fishing - Support | 29.1 | Multipurpose vessels supporting fishing related activities | Vessels supporting fishing related activities |
Fishing - Support | 29.9 | Vessels supporting fishing related activities, nei | Vessels supporting fishing related activities |
¹ STATISTICS, COORDINATING WORKING PARTY ON FISHERY. "FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report No. 1213 FIAS/R1213 (En)."
² Not elsewhere included