AIS ship and cargo type · Other type
AIS ship type 90: Other type
Ship type 90 is the other type family with no cargo declaration. What it means, what it does not, and how many vessels we can hear sending it right now.
What code 90 means
The catch-all family for vessels that fit none of the specific ones. The code says the operator did not pick a more specific family; it says nothing more about what the vessel is.
A units digit of 0 is the plain family code with no cargo declaration attached. It is the most common way the family is reported.
Reading the two digits
- Tens digit 9 → the other type family, codes 90–99.
- Units digit 0 → all ships of this type.
- Therefore: Other type.
Every code in the 90–99 range
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 90 | Other type |
| 91 | Other type, hazardous category A |
| 92 | Other type, hazardous category B |
| 93 | Other type, hazardous category C |
| 94 | Other type, hazardous category D |
| 95 | Other type, reserved |
| 96 | Other type, reserved |
| 97 | Other type, reserved |
| 98 | Other type, reserved |
| 99 | Other type, no additional information |
What the code is not
The ship-and-cargo type is typed into the transponder by whoever installs or operates it. No authority checks it against the ship’s certificates, and it is broadcast in the static report every six minutes whether or not it is right. It describes what the operator says the vessel is, not what it is doing — that is the job of the navigational status.
For the whole decade structure in one read, see AIS ship type codes explained.