Maritime Activity Monitoring

What we monitor

Public AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals from vessels in the Baltic Sea (53–62°N, 18–32°E). Each signal contains MMSI, position, speed, course, and vessel name.

Data source

• AIS data providers — publicly available vessel tracking feeds
• Collection frequency: every 15 minutes
• Collector: ais_collector.py

What we measure

• Unique vessel count near each country’s waters (Estonia: 57.5–60°N, 21.5–28°E)
• Baltic-wide total for regional context
• Proximity to critical infrastructure — gas pipelines, power cables, data cables

Why it matters

Vessel activity near critical Baltic infrastructure — gas pipelines (Balticconnector), power cables (EstLink), data cables — can indicate surveillance or preparation for sabotage. The Russian shadow fleet operating in the Baltic adds additional concern.

Limitations

• Ships can disable AIS transponders — shadow fleet vessels frequently do
• AIS data can be spoofed (fake positions)
• High vessel counts don’t necessarily indicate threat — commercial shipping is the majority