AIS message type
AIS message type 5: Static and voyage related data (Class A)
Name, call sign, IMO number, ship type, dimensions, draught, destination and ETA. What type 5 carries, who sends it, how often, and how to read it.
What type 5 is
Type 5 is the slow-clock companion to type 1. It carries everything about the ship that does not change second to second: IMO number, call sign, 20-character name, ship and cargo type, the four reference-point dimensions, the type of position-fixing device, maximum present static draught, a 20-character destination and an ETA. It does not fit in one radio slot, so it is sent across two.
How to read it
Name, destination, ETA and draught are typed in by hand and are routinely out of date or wrong. A ship whose position you can see but whose name is blank has been heard in type 1 but not yet in type 5, which is why vessel pages here can show an MMSI before a name.
Field layout
Bit offsets are counted from zero at the first bit of the decoded payload.
| Bits | Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Message type | |
| 6–7 | Repeat indicator | 0 = original, 1 to 3 = repeated by a repeater; 3 means do not repeat |
| 8–37 | MMSI | |
| 38–39 | AIS version | |
| 40–69 | IMO number | 0 = not available |
| 70–111 | Call sign | 7 six-bit characters |
| 112–231 | Vessel name | 20 six-bit characters |
| 232–239 | Ship and cargo type | |
| 240–248 | Dimension to bow | metres from the reference point |
| 249–257 | Dimension to stern | |
| 258–263 | Dimension to port | |
| 264–269 | Dimension to starboard | |
| 270–273 | Position-fixing device | |
| 274–277 | ETA month | 0 = not available |
| 278–282 | ETA day | 0 = not available |
| 283–287 | ETA hour | 24 = not available |
| 288–293 | ETA minute | 60 = not available |
| 294–301 | Maximum static draught | 1/10 metre; 0 = not available |
| 302–421 | Destination | 20 six-bit characters |
Paste a real sentence into the AIS message decoder to see these fields filled in.
All message types
| Type | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Position report, scheduled (Class A) |
| 2 | Position report, assigned schedule (Class A) |
| 3 | Position report, response to interrogation (Class A) |
| 4 | Base station report |
| 5 | Static and voyage related data (Class A) |
| 6 | Binary addressed message |
| 7 | Binary acknowledge |
| 8 | Binary broadcast message |
| 9 | Standard SAR aircraft position report |
| 10 | UTC and date inquiry |
| 11 | UTC and date response |
| 12 | Addressed safety related message |
| 13 | Safety related acknowledgement |
| 14 | Safety related broadcast message |
| 15 | Interrogation |
| 16 | Assignment mode command |
| 17 | DGNSS broadcast binary message |
| 18 | Standard Class B equipment position report |
| 19 | Extended Class B equipment position report |
| 20 | Data link management message |
| 21 | Aid-to-navigation report |
| 22 | Channel management |
| 23 | Group assignment command |
| 24 | Static data report (Class B) |
| 25 | Single slot binary message |
| 26 | Multiple slot binary message with communications state |
| 27 | Long-range AIS broadcast message |