JFDM said:
I've been tracking the Tongala and Grand Pioneer for a couple of days now (I want it to be on the Tongala which is due on Sun 18th May as my delivery date is "late may" at the dealers) but I've simply been entering the ship name into google and tracking it there. Is there a better way to track the ship?
Another question - where on the map is the "Blackout" area?
Evening Joe, I have used Google to check the location of ships and found it to be very similar to some of the many ship "tracking" websites that are available. Where these sites are better in my opinion is that they can provide ancillary information and photographs that you don't get with Google.
The website that most of us use is -
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/
The "Blackout" area usually kicks in once these ships enter the Indian Ocean from the Malacca Straits which runs between Malaysia and Western Sumatra (Indonesia).
The reason for this blackout is a simple one. Since these ships are heading for the Suez Canal, their route takes them near to the coast of Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti, all areas where "pirate" ships patrol the seas in search of "cargo".
The car carriers generally send out a signal so that anyone can follow their voyage but since there is a risk of being intercepted, they stop sending out public signals until they are in and on some occasions, out of the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean Sea.
This blackout can last anywhere between 9 and 14 days depending on the speed of the vessel.