What ship is that?

The Port of Melbourne has more than 3100 ship visits each year. Around Port Phillip Bay and at the Port Education Centre you will see ships in harbour, arriving or departing.

Every ship at sea flies a national flag (an ensign) from its stern - this is the flag of the country in which the ship is registered. When a ship enters another country's waters it must also fly that country's flag. So for example, a ship registered in Germany but docked at the Port of Melbourne would fly the German flag from its stern and the Australian flag from the mast above the bridge.

Flag of convenience
Some ships are registered in countries that are not the countries of the company that owns the ship, these ships are said to fly a 'flag of convenience' .

Signal flags
Despite ships being full of modern communication technology, they still communicate by using signal flags. This is because flags continue to work during storms, power failure or computer breakdowns. Signal flags are brightly coloured and fly from the mast above the ship's bridge.

There are a few common signal flags flown by ships visiting the Port of Melbourne. These include an all red flag indicating danger, oil tankers or ships carrying dangerous cargo must fly this flag.
Also commonly seen is a half-red, half-white, vertically-striped flag that signals that the ship is carrying a pilot. Every ship above a certain size must have a pilot on board to guide it into and out of Port Phillip Bay. red and white signal flag h

Find out what ship that is
What ship is that? Where did it come from and where is it going?
Use the links below to find out more about the ships visiting the port:

          Ships in port
          Actual movements
          Expected ship movements

Also visit our web cams where you can watch ships in the Yarra River and at Port Phillip Bay Heads:

          Web cams