On 16 May 2017, ship tracking intelligence company MarineTraffic and the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, in order to share information and data that will enable both organisations to enhance their services and allow for more accurate analysis of global trade and shipping trends.
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 18 million vessel and port related events monthly by tracking ships’ Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) through a network of terrestrial receivers and satellites.
Commenting on the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, Dr Jan Hoffmann, Chief of UNCTAD’s Trade Logistics Branch said: “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 said: “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.”