Navtex
A historical database providing vital navigational and meteorological warnings, forecasts, and urgent maritime safety information to ships.
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Description
NAVTEX (Navigational Telex) is an international automated medium frequency direct-printing service used for broadcasting maritime safety information. It provides vital navigational and meteorological warnings, forecasts, and urgent maritime safety information to ships. NAVTEX operates under the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and is a key component of ensuring safe navigation at sea, providing essential safety information that helps in the prevention of maritime accidents and enhances the overall safety of navigation.
Navtex.net is an archive that dates back to December 2012 and which records all NAVTEX broadcasts.
NAVTEX messages include navigational warnings (such as changes to navigational aids, new hazards, and construction), meteorological warnings (weather forecasts and warnings), search and rescue information, and other urgent safety information.
Messages are standardized and use a specific format that includes a header with identifiers for the transmitting station, message type, and a unique identifier to prevent duplication.
The navtex.net homepage also includes a guide (at the very bottom of the page) on how to read the standardised format that the messages are written in.
This is how NAVTEX works:
Ships equipped with NAVTEX receivers can automatically receive and display messages. The automated nature of NAVTEX allows for continuous reception of important messages without requiring manual intervention. The receivers are designed to automatically reject duplicate messages and messages not intended for the ship’s current area, reducing the risk of information overload.
Ships are required to have NAVTEX receivers as part of their GMDSS equipment, especially if they operate in coastal areas. These receivers are designed to be highly reliable, operating continuously to ensure that no critical information is missed.
NAVTEX broadcasts on the MF frequency of 518 kHz in English, which is the primary frequency for international broadcasts.
It also operates on 490 kHz and 4209.5 kHz for national broadcasts in local languages.
The service has a typical range of about 200-400 nautical miles from the transmitter, depending on the location and conditions.
NAVTEX messages are broadcast at regular intervals, typically every four hours, ensuring that ships receive timely updates.
Reading an example of a NAVTEX message:
ZCZC IA96 122211 UTC APR BALTIC SEA NAV WARN 015/25 BALTIC SEA AREA AND INLAND WATERWAYS. AFTER THE WINTER SEASON FLOATING NAVIGATIONAL AIDS AND ALSO SOME LIGHTS LEADING LIGHTS AND MARKS COULD BE UNLIT OFF POSITION OR CAPSIZED. MANY BUOYS AND MARKS HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN. REPAIR WORKS WILL TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS. NAVIGATE WITH CAUTION. NNNN
ZCZC = This indicates the start of the NAVTEX message.
L = This is the ID of the station transmitting the message. This character is called B1.
A = This is the type of subject of the message. This character is called the B2. In this case "A" = Navigational Warning).
83 = This is a serial number for each B2 message, these are added to differentiate the NAVEX message from similar ones that might be sent from the same transmitter. In the example above, this indicates Navigational Warning no. 96 from.
122211 = These numbers are the day, hour and minute that the message arrived.
UTC = Universal Coordinated Time
APR = This indicates the month. In this case, "APR" = April
NNNN = End of Navtex message
Cost
Level of difficulty
Requirements
None
Limitations
The website appears to have gone some time without being updated. For instance, no new blog post has been added during the last decade. However, the Navtex archive seems to be up to date, it ranges from 2012 to this year.
The NAVTEX archive data pieces are stored in individual .txt files, which may make them difficult to search through.
Ethical Considerations
NAVTEX data does not share information about the location, destination or ownership of vessels. However, cross referencing a vessel's location with the kind of NAVTEX data that was shared in that area might give insights into what conditions (for example adverse weather) the ship is facing. This might reveal information about a vessel that was not intended to be public. Make sure to use the tool responsibly and for research in the public interest.
Guides and articles
The guide to reading the various parts of a NAVTEX message is located on the website's home page at the very bottom of the page. There are also alternate guides available, such as this one, that give a more complete picture of NAVTEX, its use and its importance.
Tool provider
The NAVTEX website is a passion project set up by what appears to be just one individual, or a very small team at best. The website itself credits its creation to an individual by the name of Geir Laastad, a former sailor who goes by the nickname/call sign of "LA6LU". Laastad's country of origin is unclear. The aim of the website's creation is to provide a secondary source of NAVTEX data for ships that may have a reliable internet connection, but not a reliable NAVTEX receiver.
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