MarineTraffic will team up with the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD) on a data sharing project that will lead to a more accurate analysis of global trade and the maritime industry.
The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Switzerland this week, that will see UNCTAD and MarineTraffic share information and data that will enable both parties to enhance their services and allow for more detailed examination of shipping trends and global trade.
Geneva headquartered UNCTAD plays an important role in integrating developing countries into the world economy, with maritime related research, policy analysis and data collection an integral part of this process.
MarineTraffic currently records 800 million vessel positions and more than 20 million vessel and port related events monthly by tracking ships’ Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) through a network of terrestrial receivers and satellites. MarineTraffic has powerful data analytical capabilities with the infrastructure, advanced algorithms and advanced delivery methods to allow companies and organisations to make sense of the huge volumes of data generated by vessel movements.
Commenting on the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, Dr Jan Hoffmann, Chief of UNCTAD’s Trade Logistics Branch said; “MarineTraffic provides accurate data on the trading patterns of the world’s commercial shipping fleet. Building their data into our research, datasets and analysis will deliver a level of both granular and big picture accuracy that will enable us to strengthen our support for developing countries and help us reach our goal of delivering a fairer globalised economy.”
Argyris Stasinakis, Partner of MarineTraffic says the agreement is a huge vote of confidence in MarineTraffic data by the world’s most respected trade body. “Intelligence driven by AIS already enables the shipping industry to optimise port calls and vessel flows, minimise fuel consumption and the impact of shipping on the environment. We will be offering our sophisticated reporting and data mining services to UNCTAD and are proud to play our role in building a fairer and more efficient world.”