Splash247: OECD launches real-time shipping trade tracker

Published by Splash247

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is launching a new online data platform designed to monitor global commodity trade disruptions in near real time using vessel movement data.

The tool, developed by the OECD Statistics team and going live this week, tracks flows across 23 commodity groups worldwide, covering nearly 30,000 berths at more than 4,100 ports. It uses Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, image analysis and network modelling to identify commodities and shipping routes most exposed to disruption.

The platform is designed to help governments, traders and shipping markets respond more quickly to geopolitical shocks, infrastructure failures and trade restrictions, including recent tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the OECD, the system was able to detect the short-lived disruption to UK imports caused by the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024, highlighting the potential for faster economic monitoring than traditional trade statistics allow.

“While the resulting trade proxies are not designed to replace official trade statistics, they provide valuable and complementary information on trade dynamics, particularly in periods of heightened uncertainty or rapid change,” the OECD said.

The organisation said the tool’s main strength lies in identifying “turning points, disruptions and emerging trends well ahead of traditional data releases”.

The OECD acknowledged limitations in the methodology, including underestimation risks for containerised cargoes and the lag in global imagery updates, but argued the system offers a major step forward in real-time trade intelligence and maritime risk assessment.

The platform will be available via the OECD website from Monday.