Commercial platforms

The enterprise vessel-tracking and risk platforms, what each does, and the free sources that answer the same question more slowly.

Read this first. The platforms on this page are enterprise products priced for shipping companies, insurers, banks and governments. Most publish no price; expect a contract rather than a credit card. We list them because readers ask what the big names do, and because reports and news stories cite them. For most investigations the free sources on the earlier pages answer the same question, more slowly. Each group below names the free page to start from.

Ownership changes fast in this market. Kpler owns MarineTraffic, FleetMon and the former Spire Maritime; S&P Global owns the Sea-web ship database and Panjiva; Lloyd’s List Intelligence belongs to Montagu; Windward to FTV Capital. The AIS data note has the details and dates.

Vessel tracking and maritime intelligence

Free alternatives: vessel tracking and vessel identity.

  • Kpler · Enterprise quote · Kpler · Commodity flows, cargo tracking and the combined MarineTraffic, FleetMon and Spire AIS feeds, sold as a platform and as data.
  • S&P Global Market Intelligence · Enterprise quote · S&P Global · Sea-web and the Maritime Portal (the ship database descended from Lloyd’s Register-Fairplay), satellite AIS from the former ORBCOMM business, and Panjiva trade data.
  • Lloyd’s List Intelligence · Enterprise quote · Lloyd’s List Intelligence (Montagu) · Seasearcher vessel database, risk and compliance screening, casualty records and the Lloyd’s List news service.
  • Windward · Enterprise quote · Windward (FTV Capital) · AI risk scores for vessels and companies, dark activity and sanctions compliance workflows.
  • Pole Star Global · Enterprise quote · Pole Star Global · PurpleTRAC sanctions screening and fleet monitoring, widely used by banks and traders.
  • Vortexa · Enterprise quote · Vortexa · Cargo-level tracking of oil, gas and refined products, with analytics on floating storage and shadow fleet flows.
  • Starboard Maritime Intelligence · Enterprise quote · Starboard, New Zealand · Vessel risk and dark activity analytics aimed at governments and fisheries agencies in the Pacific and beyond.
  • TankerTrackers.com · Paid (Corporate Lite $12,000/yr, 2026-10) · TankerTrackers.com · Tanker movements, floating storage and sanctioned oil flows from imagery and AIS. Retail tiers are closed to new subscribers.
  • Worldwide AIS Network · Enterprise quote · Worldwide AIS Network ApS, Copenhagen · Live and regional AIS feeds over REST, WebSocket and raw NMEA, with a free data sample for evaluation. A smaller alternative to the Kpler and S&P feeds.
  • Datalastic · Paid (from about €199/month, 2026-10) · Datalastic · A developer-oriented AIS and vessel data API, one of the cheaper paid routes to programmatic positions. The site refuses some automated and overseas requests.

Radar, optical and RF detection

Free alternatives: satellite imagery and detection.

  • ICEYE · Enterprise quote · ICEYE · Tasked high-resolution radar imagery and dark vessel detection products.
  • Unseenlabs · Enterprise quote · Unseenlabs · Geolocation of ships from their radio-frequency emissions, independent of AIS.
  • HawkEye 360 · Enterprise quote · HawkEye 360 · Radio-frequency geolocation and maritime domain awareness products for governments.
  • SynMax · Enterprise quote · SynMax · Theia, a dark vessel detection platform combining radar and optical imagery with AIS.
  • Planet · Enterprise quote · Planet Labs · Daily optical imagery of the whole land surface and coasts, plus the Sentinel Hub APIs under the Planet Insights Platform.

Ownership, sanctions and risk

Free alternatives: ownership, sanctions and shadow fleet.

  • Sayari · Enterprise quote · Sayari · Corporate ownership graph built from public records in many jurisdictions, with trade and sanctions risk screening.
  • Kharon · Enterprise quote · Kharon · Research and data on sanctions, export controls and the networks around designated parties.
  • Altana · Enterprise quote · Altana · Supply chain network mapping across shipment and corporate records.
  • Sourcemap · Enterprise quote · Sourcemap · Supplier mapping and traceability for regulatory due diligence. The free edition we once listed is gone.

Trade and shipment data

Free alternatives: cargo, containers and trade data.

  • Panjiva · Enterprise quote · S&P Global · Bills of lading and shipment records for many countries, with company profiles and network views.
  • ImportGenius · Paid · ImportGenius · US and other customs shipment records with published subscription plans.
  • Descartes Datamyne · Enterprise quote · Descartes · Import and export records for the Americas and beyond.
  • Volza · Paid · Volza · Export and import shipment data for a large set of countries, sold by subscription.
  • Linerlytica · Paid · Linerlytica · Container shipping market analysis and port congestion tracking.
  • Sea-Intelligence · Paid · Sea-Intelligence · Liner schedule reliability and container market research.

Security and risk advisories

Free alternatives: security incidents and warnings.

  • Ambrey · Enterprise quote · Ambrey · Maritime security advisories, intelligence and armed guarding.
  • Dryad Global · Enterprise quote · Dryad Global · Maritime risk intelligence and advisories, with some free weekly commentary.
  • Risk Intelligence · Enterprise quote · Risk Intelligence, Denmark · The MaRisk system of port and sea-area threat assessments.

Last checked 2026-10-12.