AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

Background

AIS (Automatic Identification System) is the mariner’s most significant

development in navigation safety since the introduction of radar. The system
was originally developed as a collision avoidance tool to enable commercial
vessels to ‘see’ each other more clearly in all conditions and improve the
helmsman’s information about his surrounding environment. AIS does this
by continuously transmitting a vessels identity, position, speed and course
along with other relevant information to all other AIS equipped vessels
within range. Combined with a shore station, this system also offers port
authorities and maritime safety bodies the ability to manage maritime traffic
and reduce the hazards of marine navigation.

Due to the great safety benefits offered by AIS, this technology was made
compulsory throughout the world in 2002 for all passenger ferries and
vessels over 300 gross tonnes.

How AIS works

The Automatic Identification System was developed to allow ships and

coastal stations to accurately locate and identify one another. An AIS
transceiver uses VHF radio and GPS technology to communicate with other
nearby ships.

1
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

An AIS transponder determines its own position, speed and course using a
built in GPS receiver. This information is combined with other important
navigation information and automatically communicated between AIS
equipped vessels without any user interaction.

AIS transponders on other vessels and coast stations receive this

information and use it to build up a live graphical display of traffic in the
area. The transponder can be connected to many types of chart plotter or PC
charting software to give a RADAR type display of vessel positions. AIS does
not require a radar, but can offer similar capabilities and even enhance a
radar image if a radar has already been fitted to the vessel.

The range or coverage of the system is similar to a VHF radios. The system
also has the advantage that VHF radio signals will travel around bends and
over islands giving better coverage than RADAR or enhancing a RADAR
picture when used together.

Benefits of AIS

 “See and be seen”.

A Class B transponder continuously receives information from all Class
A and Class B equipped vessels around you and displays this
information on your standard chart plotter or PC. At the same time
your Class B will transmit your position to all AIS equipped vessels
automatically.
 Safety at night and in poor weather conditions
The class B AIS is a vital navigation tool in poor visibility conditions.
The information received from other AIS ‘targets’ provides the user
with vital navigation information and the position transmission alerts
other vessels to the users location.

 Combined with radar, AIS gives you the best possible picture of
your situation in all conditions

 Safety in high traffic / commercial shipping areas

 Position transmission to authorities / nearby vessels in case of

emergency

 Best possible picture of a dynamic environment (moving

vessels)

2
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

 Graphically view your position in relation to other vessels when

connected to suitable display

 Ability to ‘see around the corner’

 Track vessels of interest such as friends/ colleagues“See and

be seen”.

Automatic Identification System

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is an automated tracking system

used on ships and by Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) for identifying and
locating Vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships
and VTS stations. AIS information supplements marine radar, which
continues to be the primary method of collision avoidance for water
transport.

A marine traffic coordinator using AIS and radar to manage vessel traffic.

3
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

An AIS equipped system onboard a ship presents the bearing and distance of
nearby vessels in a radar-like display format.

A graphical display of AIS data onboard a ship.

Information provided by AIS equipment, such as unique identification,

position, course, and speed, can be displayed on a screen or an ECDIS. AIS
is intended to assist a vessel's watch keeping officers and allow maritime
authorities to track and monitor vessel movements. AIS integrates a
standardized VHF transceiver with a positioning system such as a GPS
receiver, with other electronic navigation sensors, such as a gyrocompass or

4
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

rate of turn indicator. Ships outside AIS radio range can be tracked with the
Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system with less frequent
transmission.

The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) International Convention for

the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires AIS to be fitted aboard
international voyaging ships with gross tonnage (GT) of 300 or more tons,
and all passenger ships regardless of size. It is estimated that more than
40,000 ships currently carry AIS class A equipment. In 2007, the new Class
B AIS standard was introduced which enabled a new generation of low cost
AIS transponders. This has triggered multiple additional national mandates
from Singapore, China, Turkey and North America affecting hundreds of
thousands of vessels.

Applications and limitations

Collision avoidance

AIS is used in navigation primarily for collision avoidance. Due to the

limitations of VHF radio communications, and because not all vessels are
equipped with AIS, the system is meant to be used primarily as a means of
lookout and to determine risk of collision rather than as an automated
collision avoidance system, in accordance with the International Regulations
for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS).

5
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

A vessel's text-only AIS display, listing nearby vessels' range, bearings, and
names

When a ship is navigating at sea, the movement and identity of other ships
in the vicinity is critical for navigators to make decisions to avoid collision
with other ships and dangers (shoal or rocks). Visual observation (unaided,
binoculars, night vision), audio exchanges (whistle, horns, VHF radio), and
radar or Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA) are historically used for this
purpose. However, a lack of positive identification of the targets on the
displays, and time delays and other limitation of radar for observing and
calculating the action and response of ships around, especially on busy
waters, sometimes prevent possible action in time to avoid collision.

While requirements of AIS are only to display a very basic text information,
the data obtained can be integrated with a graphical electronic chart or a
radar display, providing consolidated navigational information on a single
display.

Vessel traffic services

In busy waters and harbors, a local Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) may exist to
manage ship traffic. Here, AIS provides additional traffic awareness and
provides the service with information on the kind of other ships and their
movement.

Aids to navigation

AIS was developed with the ability to broadcast positions and names of
objects other than vessels, like navigational aid and marker positions. These
aids can be located on shore, such as in a lighthouse, or on the water, on
platforms or buoys. The US Coast Guard suggests that AIS might replace
RACON, or radar beacons, currently used for electronic navigation aids.

The ability to broadcast navigational aid positions has also created the
concepts of Synthetic AIS and Virtual AIS. In the first case, an AIS
transmission describes the position of physical marker but the signal itself
originates from a transmitter located elsewhere. For example, an on-shore
base station might broadcast the position of ten floating channel markers,
each of which is too small to contain a transmitter itself. In the second case,
6
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

it can mean AIS transmissions that indicate a marker which does not exist
physically, or a concern which is not visible (i.e., submerged rocks, or a
wrecked ship). Although such virtual aids would only be visible to AIS
equipped ships, the low cost of maintaining them could lead to their usage
when physical markers are unavailable.

Search and rescue

For coordinating resources on scene of marine search & rescue operation, it

is important to know the position and navigation status of ships in the
vicinity of the ship or person in distress. Here AIS can provide additional
information and awareness of the resources for on scene operation, even
though AIS range is limited to VHF radio range. The AIS standard also
envisioned the possible use on SAR Aircraft, and included a message (AIS
Message 9) for aircraft to report position.

To aid SAR vessels and aircraft in locating people in distress a standard for
an AIS-SART AIS Search and Rescue Transmitter is currently being
developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the
standard is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2008 and AIS-SARTs will
be available on the market from 2009.

Accident Investigation

AIS information received by VTS is important for accident investigation to

provide the accurate time, identity, position by GPS, compass heading,
course over ground (COG), Speed (by log/SOG) and rate of turn (ROT) of
the ships involved for accident analysis, rather than limited information
(position, COG, SOG) of radar echo by radar.

The maneuvering information of the events of the accident is important to

understand the actual movement of the ship before accident, particularly for
collision, grounding accidents.

A more complete picture of the events could be obtained by Voyage Data

Recorder (VDR) data if available and maintained onboard for details of the
movement of the ship, voice communication and radar pictures during the
accidents. However, VDR data are not maintained due to the limited 12
hours storage by IMO requirement.

7
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

Other reference:

Automatic Identification System (AIS): A Human Factors Approach

Binary messages

The Saint Lawrence Seaway uses AIS binary messages (message type 8) to
provide information about water levels, lock orders, and weather. The
Panama Canal uses AIS type 8 messages to provide information about rain
along the canal and wind in the locks.

Computing & networking

Several computer programs have been created for use with AIS data. Some
programs (such as Ship Plotter and GNU AIS) use a computer to demodulate
the raw audio from a modified marine VHF radio telephone when tuned to
the AIS broadcast frequency (Channel 87 & 88) into AIS data. Some
programs can re-transmit the AIS information to a local or global network
allowing the public or authorized users to observe vessel traffic from the
web. Some programs display AIS data received from a dedicated AIS
receiver onto a computer or chart-plotter. Most of these programs are not
AIS transmitters, thus they will not broadcast your vessel's position but may
be used as an inexpensive alternative for smaller vessels to help aid
navigation and avoid collision with larger vessels that are required to
broadcast their position. Ship enthusiasts also use receivers to track and find
vessels to add to their photo collections.

AIS data on the Internet

AIS position data are available on the Internet through many privately
operated geographic information systems. In December 2004, the
International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee
condemned the Internet publication of AIS data as follows:

In relation to the issue of freely available automatic identification system

(AIS)-generated ship data on the world-wide web, the publication on the
world-wide web or elsewhere of AIS data transmitted by ships could be
detrimental to the safety and security of ships and port facilities and was
undermining the efforts of the Organization and its Member States to
enhance the safety of navigation and security in the international maritime
transport sector.
8
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

Others [who?] have countered that AIS provides the same information that
can be obtained with a pair of binoculars and that ships have the option of
turning off AIS when they are in areas with security concerns.

Range limitations and space-based tracking

Shipboard AIS transponders have a horizontal range that is highly variable

but typically only about 74 kilometers (46 mi). They reach much further
vertically, up to the 400 km orbit of the International Space Station (ISS).

In June 2008, ORBCOMM launched new low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites for
their machine-to-machine communications constellation. In parallel with
ORBCOMM's contract with the United States Coast Guard to launch its AIS
receiver-equipped Concept Demonstration Satellite (CDS), all of these new
satellites were equipped with AIS receivers. ORBCOMM became the first
commercial service provider of satellite AIS, having licensed satellite AIS
data service to qualified government and commercial subscribers since the
beginning of 2009. Additionally, ORBCOMM has incorporated AIS receivers in
its next 18 ORBCOMM Generation 2 (0G2) satellites under development. As
additional satellites are launched, ORBCOMM will increase its capability by
providing greater redundancy and more frequent updates of AIS data.
ORBCOMM's established terrestrial network of 15 Gateway Earth Stations
around the world ensures timely delivery of the satellite AIS data to its
subscribers.

ORBCOMM has also contracted with Luxspace to provide 2 dedicated AIS

detection satellites, one a polar orbiting satellite, and the other an equatorial
orbiting satellite, to be launched mid-2011.

On April 28, 2008, Canadian company COM DEV International, became the
first company to launch a space-based AIS nano-satellite designed to detect
AIS signals from space, and is currently deploying a full micro-satellite
constellation, global ground network and centralized data processing center
in order to offer global AIS data services. The service is operational and
available worldwide as of mid-2010 through exactEarth, COM DEV's data
services subsidiary. exactEarth uses a patent-pending ground and space-
based processing technology to minimize interference of collided AIS signals,
therefore dramatically improving detection compared with all other satellite-

9
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

based systems. As more satellites are launched, refresh rates will continue
to increase as well.

In November 2009, the STS-129 space shuttle mission attached two

antennas - an AIS VHF antenna, and an Amateur Radio antenna to the
Columbus module of the ISS. Both antennas were built in cooperation
between ESA and the ARISS team (Amateur Radio on ISS). Starting from
May 2010 the European Space Agency is testing two different AIS receivers,
one from Luxspace (GdL), one from FFI (Norway) in the frame of technology
demonstration for space-based ship monitoring. This is a first step towards a
satellite-based AIS-monitoring service.

In 2009, LUXSPACE, a Grand Duchy of Luxembourg based company has

launched PathFinder2, (ex-Rubin) and is now the only European company to
have an operational system in orbit providing data from all over the world on
a daily basis. The satellite is operated in cooperation with SES ASTRA and
REDU Space Services.

In 2007, a previous test of space-based AIS tracking by the U.S. TacSat-2

satellite suffered from signal corruption because the many AIS signals
interfered with each other.

In July 2009, SpaceQuest launched AprizeSat-3 and AprizeSat-4 with AIS

receivers. These receivers have been able to pick up the USCG's SART
search and rescue test beacons off of Hawaii in 2010. In July 2010,
SpaceQuest and exactEarth of Canada announced an arrangement whereby
data from AprizeSat-3 and AprizeSat-4 would be incorporated into the
exactEarth system and made available worldwide as part of their
exactAIS(TM )service.

On July 12, 2010, The Norwegian AISSat-1 satellite was successfully

launched into polar orbit. The purpose of the satellite is to improve
surveillance of maritime activities in the High North. AISSat-1 is a nano
satellite measuring 20 x 20 x 20 cm. It weighs six kilograms and is shaped
like a cube.

10
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

Type Testing and Approval

Class A AIS products are for ships over 300 tons or which are SOLAS vessels
and are required to meet the guidelines set out in the Marine Equipment
Directive.

Class B AIS products are for non-SOLAS vessels. They need testing and
certification under the R&TTE Directive for the European Union and FCC and
Industry Canada certification for North America.

Basic overview

AIS transponders automatically broadcast information, such as their

position, speed, and navigational status, at regular intervals via a VHF
transmitter built into the transponder. The information originates from the
ship's navigational sensors, typically its global navigation satellite system
(GNSS) receiver and gyrocompass. Other information, such as the vessel
name and VHF call sign, is programmed when installing the equipment and
is also transmitted regularly. The signals are received by AIS transponders
fitted on other ships or on land based systems, such as VTS systems. The
received information can be displayed on a screen or chart plotter, showing
the other vessels' positions in much the same manner as a radar display.

The AIS standard comprises several sub-standards 'Types' which specify

individual product types. The specification for each product type provides a
detailed technical specification which ensures the overall integrity of the
global AIS system within which all the product types must operate. The
major product types described in the AIS system standards are:

Class A

Vessel mounted AIS transponder (transmit and response) which operates

using Self-Organised Time-Division Multiple-Access (SOTDMA). Class A must
have an integrated display, transmit at 12 W, interface capability with
multiple ship systems, and offer a sophisticated selection of features and
functions. Default transmit rate is every few seconds. AIS Class A type
compliant devices receive all types of AIS messages.

11
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

Class B

Vessel mounted AIS transceiver (transmit and receive) which operates using
carrier-sense time-division multiple-access (CSTDMA). Class Bs transmit at
2 W and are not required to have an integrated display: Class Bs can be
connected to most display systems which the received messages will be
displayed in lists or overlayed on charts. Default transmit rate is normally
every 30 seconds, but this can be varied according to vessel speed or
instructions from base stations. The Class B type standard requires
integrated GPS and certain LED indicators. Class B equipment receives all
types of AIS messages.

AIS Classes explained

Two types of AIS transponder are available, Class A and Class B.

Class B transponders have been developed to provide the safety and

navigation benefits of AIS to smaller vessels with lower cost and simpler
installation when compared to Class A. As the Class B system was developed
after the introduction of Class A it was designed to be compatible whilst
protecting the safety critical operation of the Class A system for big ships.

12
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

AIS receivers are also available; these units will pick up broadcasts from
both Class A and Class B AIS transponders but don’t transmit their own
position. A receiver allows you to see the position of other vessels however
your position won’t be visible to them.

The following diagram shows what information each type of transponder will
receive from the other.

Please note that in the last example ‘Class B- Class A’ there are some
instances when a class A user may not see the name, call sign and vessel
type- however the users vessel will still be displayed in it’s correct position.
In this circumstance, the receiving vessels display may default to showing
the MMSI rather than the vessels name.

Base station

Shore based AIS transceiver (transmit and receive) which operates using
SOTDMA. Base stations have a complex set of features and functions which
in the AIS standard are able to control the AIS system and all devices
operating therein. Ability to interrogate individual transponders for status
reports and or transmit frequency changes.

Aids to navigation (AtoN)

Shore or buoy based transceiver (transmit and receive) which operates using
fixed-access time-division multiple-access (FATDMA). Designed to collect
and transmit data related to sea and weather conditions as well as relay AIS
messages to extend network coverage.

AIS receivers are not specified in the AIS standards, because they do not
transmit. The main threat to the integrity of any AIS system are non-
compliant AIS transmissions, hence careful specifications of all transmitting
AIS devices. However, it is well to note that AIS transponders all transmit on
multiple channels as required by the AIS standards. As such single-channel,
or multiplexed, receivers will not receive all AIS messages. Only dual-
channel receivers will receive all AIS messages. (Class A)

Message Types: There are 26 different types of messages capable of being

sent by an AIS transponder.

13
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

Detailed description: Class A units

Each AIS transponder consists of one VHF transmitter, two VHF TDMA
receivers, one VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) receiver, and links to
shipboard display and sensor systems via standard marine electronic
communications (such as NMEA 0183, also known as IEC 61162). Timing is
vital to the proper synchronization and slot mapping (transmission
scheduling) for a Class A unit. Therefore, every unit is required to have an
internal time base, synchronized to a global navigation satellite system (e.g.
GPS) receiver. This internal receiver may also be used for position
information. However, position is typically provided by an external receiver
such as GPS, LORAN or an inertial navigation system and the internal
receiver is only used as a backup for position information. Other information
broadcast by the AIS, if available, is electronically obtained from shipboard
equipment through standard marine data connections. Heading information,
position (latitude and longitude), "speed over ground", and rate of turn are
normally provided by all ships equipped with AIS. Other information, such as
angle of heel, pitch and roll, destination, and ETA may also be provided.

An AIS transponder normally works in an autonomous and continuous mode,

regardless of whether it is operating in the open seas or coastal or inland
areas. AIS transponders use two different frequencies, VHF maritime
channels 87B (161.975 MHz) and 88B (162.025 MHz), and use 9.6 kbit/s
Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK) modulation over 25 or 12.5 kHz
channels using the High-level Data Link Control (HDLC) packet protocol.
Although only one radio channel is necessary, each station transmits and
receives over two radio channels to avoid interference problems, and to
allow channels to be shifted without communications loss from other ships.
The system provides for automatic content resolution between itself and
other stations, and communications integrity is maintained even in overload
situations.

In order to ensure that the VHF transmissions of different transponders do

not occur at the same time, the signals are time multiplexed using a
technology called Self-Organized Time Division Multiple Access (STDMA).
The design of this technology is patented, and whether this patent has been
waived for use by SOLAS vessels is a matter of debate between the
manufacturers of AIS systems and the patent holder, though the United
States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) canceled all claims in the
14
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

original patent on March 30, 2010. In order to make the most efficient use of
the bandwidth available, vessels that are anchored or moving slowly
transmit less frequently than those that are moving faster or are
maneuvering. The update rate ranges from 3 minutes for anchored or
moored vessels, to 2 seconds for fast moving or maneuvering vessels, the
latter being similar to that of conventional marine radar.

Each AIS station determines its own transmission schedule (slot), based
upon data link traffic history and an awareness of probable future actions by
other stations. A position report from one station fits into one of 2,250 time
slots established every 60 seconds on each frequency. AIS stations
continuously synchronize themselves to each other, to avoid overlap of slot
transmissions. Slot selection by an AIS station is randomized within a
defined interval and tagged with a random timeout of between 0 and 8
frames. When a station changes its slot assignment, it announces both the
new location and the timeout for that location. In this way new stations,
including those stations which suddenly come within radio range close to
other vessels, will always be received by those vessels.

The required ship reporting capacity according to the IMO performance

standard is a minimum of 2,000 time slots per minute, though the system
provides 4,500 time slots per minute. The SOTDMA broadcast mode allows
the system to be overloaded by 400 to 500% through sharing of slots, and
still provides nearly 100% throughput for ships closer than 8 to 10 n. miles
to each other in a ship to ship mode. In the event of system overload, only
targets further away will be subject to drop-out, in order to give preference
to nearer targets, which are of greater concern to ship operators. In
practice, the capacity of the system is nearly unlimited, allowing for a great
number of ships to be accommodated at the same time.

The system coverage range is similar to other VHF applications, essentially

depending on the height of the antenna, but is slightly better due to the use
of digital VHF instead of analog VHF. Its propagation is better than that of
radar, due to the longer wavelength, so it is possible to reach around bends
and behind islands if the land masses are not too high. The look-ahead
distance at sea is nominally 20 n. miles (37 km). With the help of repeater
stations, the coverage for both ship and VTS stations can be improved
considerably.

15
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

The system is backward compatible with digital selective calling systems,

allowing shore-based GMDSS systems to inexpensively establish AIS
operating channels and identify and track AIS-equipped vessels, and is
intended to fully replace existing DSC-based transponder systems.

Shore-based AIS network systems are now being built up around the world.
One of the biggest fully operational, real time systems with full routing
capability is in China. This system was built between 2003 and 2007 and
was delivered by Saab TransponderTech. The entire Chinese coastline is
covered with approximately 250 base stations in hot-standby configurations
including 70 computer servers in three main regions. Hundreds of shore
based users, including about 25 VTS centers, are connected to the network
and are able to see the maritime picture, and can also communicate with
each ship using SRM's (Safety Related Messages). All data are in real time.
The system was designed to improve the safety and security of ships and
port facilities. It is also designed according to an SOA architecture with
socket based connection and using IEC AIS standardized protocol all the way
to the VTS users. The base stations have hot-standby units (IEC 62320-1)
and the network is the third generation network solution.

By the beginning of 2007, a new worldwide standard for AIS base stations
was approved, the IEC 62320-1 standard. The old IALA recommendation and
the new IEC 62320-1 standard are in some functions incompatible, and
therefore attached network solutions have to be upgraded. This will not
affect users, but system builders need to upgrade software to accommodate
the new standard. A standard for AIS base stations has been long awaited.
Currently many ad-hoc networks exist with class A mobiles. Base stations
can control the AIS message traffic in a region, which will hopefully reduce
the number of packet collisions.

Broadcast information

An AIS transceiver sends the following data every 2 to 10 seconds

depending on a vessel's speed while underway, and every 3 minutes while a
vessel is at anchor:

The vessel's Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) – a unique nine digit
identification number.

16
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

Navigation status – "at anchor", "under way using engine(s)", "not under
command", etc.

Rate of turn – right or left, from 0 to 720 degrees per minute

Speed over ground – 0.1-knot (0.19 km/h) resolution from 0 to 102 knots

(189 km/h)

Positional accuracy:

Longitude – to 0.0001 minutes

Latitude – to 0.0001 minutes

Course over ground – relative to true north to 0.1°

True heading – 0 to 359 degrees (for example from a gyro compass)

Time stamp – UTC time accurate to the nearest second when these data
were generated

In addition, the following data are broadcast every 6 minutes:

IMO ship identification number – a seven digit number that remains

unchanged upon transfer of the ship's registration to another country

Radio call sign – international radio call sign, up to seven characters,

assigned to the vessel by its country of registry

Name – 20 characters to represent the name of the vessel

Type of ship/cargo

Dimensions of ship – to nearest meter

Location of positioning system's (e.g., GPS) antenna onboard the vessel - in

meters aft of bow and meters port of starboard

Type of positioning system – such as GPS, DGPS or LORAN-C.

Draught of ship – 0.1 meter to 25.5 meters

Destination – max. 20 characters

17
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

ETA (estimated time of arrival) at destination – UTC month/date

hour:minute

Detailed description: Class B units

Class B transponders are designed for carriage by sub-SOLAS vessels. Each

consists of one VHF transmitter, two VHF Carrier Sense Time Division
Multiple Access (CSTDMA) receivers, one of which is multiplexed with the
VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) receiver, and a GPS active antenna.
Although the data output format supports heading information, in general
units are not interfaced to a compass, so these data are seldom transmitted.
Output is the standard AIS data stream at 38.400 kbit/s, as RS232 and/or
NMEA formats. To prevent overloading of the available bandwidth,
transmission power is restricted to 2 W, giving a range of about 5–10 mi.

At the time of writing (November 2009) almost all Class B units use boards
from Software Radio Technology (SRT). Exceptions to this are Furuno and
AMEC.

Four messages are defined for class B units:

Message 14: Safety Related Message

This message is transmitted on request for the user – some transponders

have a button that enables it to be sent, or it can be sent through the
software interface. It sends a pre-defined safety message.

Message 18: Standard Class B CS Position Report

This message is sent every 3 minutes where speed over ground (SOG) is
less than 2 knots, or every 30 seconds for greater speeds.

MMSI, time, SOG, COG, longitude, latitude, true heading

Message 19: Extended Class B Equipment Position Report

This message was designed for the SOTDMA protocol, and is too long to be
transmitted as CSTDMA. However a coast station can poll the transponder
for this message to be sent.

MMSI, time, SOG, COG, longitude, latitude, true heading, ship type,
dimensions.

18
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

Message 24: Class B CS Static Data Report

This message is sent every 6 minutes, the same time interval as for Class A
transponders. Because of its length, this message is divided into two parts,
sent within one minute of each other.

Note that this message was defined after the original AIS specifications, so
some Class A units may need a firmware upgrade to be able to decode this
message.

MMSI, boat name, ship type, call sign, dimensions, and equipment vendor
id.

19
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

Detailed description: AIS Receivers

A number of manufacturers offer AIS receivers, designed for monitoring AIS

traffic. These may have two receivers, for monitoring both frequencies
simultaneously, or they may switch between frequencies (thereby missing
messages on the other channel, but at reduced price). In general they will
output RS232, NMEA, USB or UDP data for display on electronic chart
plotters or computers.

20
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

A transponder is an electronic device used to wirelessly receive and transmit

electrical signals. Fittingly, its name is equally derived from the words
"transmitter" and "responder".

Transponders were originally developed to be attached to objects which

needed to be located, and are still used in this manner today. A transponder
functions by receiving a signal, called an "interrogator" because it is
effectively "asking" for information, then automatically conveying a radio
wave at a predetermined frequency. In order to broadcast a signal on a
different frequency than the one received, a frequency converter is built in.
By receiving and transmitting on different frequencies, the interrogator and
transponder signals can be detected simultaneously.

The first use of a transponder was onboard an aircraft during World War II,
as part of the Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) system. By answering secret
interrogation frequencies, pilots could indicate to radar operators that they
were friendly aircraft.

Transponders are still common today in both military and commercial

aviation. They receive a signal from the ground, and then automatically
reply with an identification code for air traffic controllers, as well as altitude
information. In aircraft applications, transponders are also configured to
amplify the signal in order to make the plane more visible on radar.

Transponders are also used to measure distance by calculating the elapsed

time between the sending of the interrogator signal and the receipt of the
transponder's signal. For example, sonar transponders are used to mark
underwater positions, calculate depth, and trace positions.

It may sound as if transponders are a technology that the average consumer

never uses; even if that was once the case, it no longer is. The modern
commuter probably has at least one transmitter in his car, probably
mounted on the windshield or dashboard. These are for roads using
electronic tolling systems which compute the amount of tolls to be paid and
complete the transaction without requiring the driver to so much as lower
their window. Some newer cars are also equipped with onboard

21
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)

transponders, which operators will use to locate their vehicle in the event of
an emergency.

Cellular phones use a similar, albeit smaller, chip to send the phone's
location if it used to call an emergency number. Even casual television
viewing often involves the use of transponders. A network can uplink their
ground-based satellites to communications satellites orbiting the Earth, send
multiple channels of digitally compressed video and audio to a single
transponder onboard it, and local stations can then pick up the program and
re-broadcast it locally by aiming the appropriate ground-based dish.

SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE AIS ON THE INTERNET

It is currently installed in around 400,000 vessels.

As the world becomes more connected to the “Internet of Things”, Trend Micro’s Forward Looking
Threat researchers continue to look into technologies that could be abused by attackers in the near
future. Earlier today at the HITB security conference in Kuala Lumpur, , two researchers from this team
(Kyle Wilhoit and Dr. Marco Balduzzi), together with independent researcher Alessandro Pasta,
presented a series of experiments that showed AIS is comprehensively vulnerable to a wide range of
attacks that could be easily carried out by pirates, terrorists or other attackers. Trend Micro took care to
carry out responsible disclosure to all of the major standard bodies involved in AIS, as well as major
online providers of AIS tracking information.

The attacks can be divided into two parts. Firstly, we discovered that the main AIS Internet providers
that collect AIS information and distribute them publicly have vulnerabilities that allow an attacker to
tamper with valid AIS data and inject invalid AIS data, such as:

 Modification of all ship details such as position, course, cargo, flagged country, speed, name,
MMSI (Mobile Maritime Service Identity) status etc.

 Creation of fake vessels with all the same details e.g. having an Iranian vessel with nuclear cargo
show up off the coast of the US

 Create and modify Aid to Navigations (AToN) entries, such as buoys and lighthouses. This leads
to scenarios such as blocking the entrance to a harbor, causing a ship to wreck, etc.

 Create and modify search and rescue marine aircraft such as helicopters, and light aircraft e.g.
having a stationary search and rescue coast guard helicopter “take off” and travel on a set
course.

Secondly, we have also discovered flaws in the actual specification of the AIS protocol used by hardware
transceivers in all mandatory vessels. In addition to the above threats, we have proven additional
scenarios:
22
AIS (AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM)
 Impersonate marine authorities to permanently disable the AIS system on a vessel, both forcing
the ship to stop communicating its position, and stop getting AIS notifications from all nearby
vessels (essentially a denial of service attack). This can also be tagged to a geographical area e.g.
as soon as ship enters Somalia sea space it vanishes of AIS, but the pirates who carried out the
attack can still see it.

 Fake a “man-in-the-water” distress beacon at any location that will also trigger alarms on all
vessel within approximately 50 km.

Fake a CPA alert (Closest Point of Approach) and trigger a collision warning alert. In some cases this can
even cause software on the vessel to recalculate a course to avoid collision, allowing an attacker to
physically nudge a boat in a certain direction.

All of this is made possible because the AIS protocol was designed with seemingly zero security
considerations. In particular, we noted the following major issues:

 Lack of Validity Checks. It is possible to send an AIS message from any location for a vessel at
another location e.g. you can send a message from a location near New York for a vessel that
claims to be in the Gulf of Mexico, and it will be accepted without question. No geographical
validity checks are carried out.

 Lack of Timing Checks. It is also possible to replay existing (valid) AIS information, because no
timestamp information is included in the message e.g. you can replicate the position of a vessel.

 Lack of Authentication. There is no authentication built into the AIS protocol. That means that
anyone who can craft an AIS packet can impersonate any other vessel on the planet, and all
receiving vessels will treat the message as fact.

 Lack of Integrity Checks. All AIS messages are sent in an unencrypted and unsigned form, making
them trivial to intercept and modify.

While all the attacks we described above were carried out in our dedicated test lab setup – where we
used specific software defined radio equipment – we have also proven that an attacker is able to carry
out such attacks using a modified standard, easy to obtain VHF radio which costs approximately €150, or
approximately US$200.

Fixing the flaws in AIS is not trivial, as they exist right down to the core of the protocol. Even if the AIS
internet providers altered their sites, the underlying protocol is still open to lots of abuse. At a
minimum, a new version of AIS would need to incorporate defences for the three core issues outlined:
validity, authentication and encryption. We are fully aware that the costs to update AIS on all vessels is
high – but in the light of threats such as piracy and terrorism, there really are no alternatives.

23