Quick-Start Guide
What each part of VesselWatch Scotland shows, and how to read it.
Map
See where vessels are now. Tap a pin for that vessel's details — status, position, and when it last reported. The map stays within UK waters.
Vessels
Search or sort the vessels by name, route or status. Each vessel shows its network area, size, current and next deployment, and any note from the weekly board.
Routes
Pick a "from" and "to" and a day, and see the sailings that match — departure, arrival and the vessel that usually runs it. Copy summary puts a one-line version on your clipboard, ready to paste into an email. Each route also has its own page with the full timetable both ways.
Weather
Wind, gusts, visibility and swell for each port, plus whether services are running normally.
Updates
Planned maintenance, timetable changes, disruptions and cover arrangements.
Ask
Ask questions in plain English — "Where is Loch Seaforth?" or "Services to Arran today?". It answers only from the live data in this app, and says so when something is unknown.
⚠️ Where the information comes from
Every position is labelled with its source, because they are not equally current:
- ✅ Live GPS
- A live satellite position. The most current.
- 📡 AIS
- Public vessel-tracking radio, picked up by shore stations. Good when a vessel is within range of one.
- 🔄 Manual update
- Entered by an administrator. As current as the moment it was typed.
- 📅 Weekly schedule
- From the published deployment board. Where a vessel is expected to be, not a live reading.
Anything older than 60 minutes is marked Stale. A stale position is the last one received, not necessarily where the vessel is now.
Map markers
The shape tells you how the position was obtained:
- ➤ Arrow
- A current fix with a known direction — the arrow points the way the vessel is travelling. Green means she is making way.
- ● Dot
- No heading available: placed from the weekly deployment board, or a fix that carries no direction.
Faded markers are stale — the last position received, not necessarily where the vessel is now. Vessel names appear beside the markers once you zoom in.
When a vessel is sailing
A vessel making way shows as Underway with the direction and speed beside it — ➤ NW · 14.2 kn. That comes from the live fix, not the weekly board, so it can appear before the board has been updated; where the two disagree, the vessel detail says so.
Most live positions report location only, so the direction and speed shown are worked out from where the vessel was at the previous reading. That makes it the course she is travelling, which is what matters here, rather than the heading off her compass. It needs two readings, so a vessel that has just started reporting shows no direction until the next one.
A vessel recorded as off service, dry dock or annual overhaul keeps that status even while moving — under tow to the yard is still not in service. Movement is shown alongside it rather than replacing it. Anything under 1 knot counts as alongside: a berthed vessel's position drifts a little with the tide.
Status colours
- Underway
- At berth
- Off service
- Dry dock
- Annual overhaul
- Not confirmed
Service status
- Running normally
- Delays
- Revised times
- Cancelled
- Weather warning
- Maintenance