An ETA you can check the basis of.
A predictive arrival time is only useful if you know what it is based on. Here is exactly where ShipTastic’s ETA comes from, and what it can and cannot know.
Built fromLive AIS position + carrier milestones
Each ETA showsIts basis and how old it is
What feeds the estimate
- Live vessel position (AIS). We follow the actual ship on the global AIS network — its real position, speed and heading — not a milestone that was true three days ago.
- Carrier and terminal milestones. Gate-in, load, departure, transhipment, discharge and arrival events as the carrier and terminals report them, through our tracking-data providers.
We combine the two: the vessel's movement toward the destination port, adjusted by the scheduled and reported milestones for that voyage.
How it updates
- Every estimate is shown with its basis and how recently it was checked, so you can judge how much to lean on it.
- The estimate sharpens as the vessel approaches port — an ETA a week out over open ocean is inherently less certain than one as the ship nears the pilot station.
What it cannot know
An honest ETA has limits. ShipTastic does not predict:
- A roll or blank sailing before the carrier confirms it.
- Terminal congestion, labour action or customs holds at the destination.
- Events the carrier and AIS have not yet reported.
When these happen, our alerts flag the change as soon as the data moves, so you hear about it early rather than never.
On accuracy figures. We do not headline a single accuracy percentage, because a number measured on one lane rarely holds on another. If we publish an accuracy figure, it will state exactly what it measured, over what period, and be updated — you will find it here, not in a marketing tagline.