Jul 6, 2026
Vessel traffic and activity data (transit counts) for 2025 are now available on the Northeast Ocean Data Portal. These data products were developed in collaboration with partners from the Marine Cadastre, who obtained the data from the U.S. Coast Guard and processed it for regional and other partners to use. The data were then used by Northeast Ocean Data to develop regional maps by vessel type. The same data will also be released via the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal. Partners from the U.S. Coast Guard and the maritime industry have contributed valuable input, helping to guide how the data should be processed and presented to maximize their accuracy and usefulness. Over the coming year, we will continue engaging with the maritime community, using their feedback to refine vessel transit data products and characterize data product use.
The 2025 data contribute to a growing library of annual and monthly vessel traffic data on the Portal, including 2011–2013 and 2015–2025. These data have multiple ocean planning and management applications, including as one component of the studies and analyses conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard for Waterways Management and Port Access Route Studies (PARS).
Update: 2025 Vessel Traffic (AIS)
Data Provider(s):
- US Coast Guard (USCG)
- Marine Cadastre
Metadata:
The new data are now available on the Data Explorer Map, under Marine Transportation, Commercial Traffic, where they can be overlaid with other types of data on ocean uses and marine life. Users can view data for all vessels together or select from multiple categories of vessels such as cargo, fishing, passenger, tanker, tug-tow, and other vessels.
As with vessel traffic data for prior years, the new 2025 traffic data product represents counts of total vessel transits in each category and can be viewed at both annual and monthly time-steps. The time slider tool in the Data Explorer enables users to advance vessel traffic maps month by month to see how traffic patterns for each vessel category change throughout the year.
Vessel traffic datasets are based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data collected by the U.S. Coast Guard through onboard navigation safety devices that transmit and monitor the locations and characteristics of large vessels in U.S. and international waters. While AIS data often contain some errors such as vessels registered in an incorrect category, the Northeast Ocean Data maps show general patterns of vessel activity; for more information, see the metadata.
To download monthly or annual AIS data, visit the Get Data page and open the Marine Transportation section.