The type of any vessel can be deducted using the relevant information contained in the transmitted AIS messages. In order to provide more detailed information about Vessel Types, Marinetraffic also uses a proprietary classification system as shown in the following table:
| TYPE NAME ID | DETAILED TYPE NAME |
| 1 | Aggregates Carrier |
| 2 | Anchor Handling Vessel |
| 3 | Asphalt/Bitumen Tanker |
| 4 | Bulk Carrier |
| 5 | Bunkering Tanker |
| 6 | Cable Layer |
| 8 | Cement Carrier |
| 9 | Chemical Tanker |
| 10 | Container Ship |
| 11 | Crew Boat |
| 12 | Crude Oil Tanker |
| 13 | Dredger |
| 14 | Drill Ship |
| 15 | Fire Fighting Vessel |
| 16 | Fish Carrier |
| 18 | Fishing Vessel |
| 19 | Floating Crane |
| 20 | Floating Storage/Production |
| 21 | General Cargo |
| 22 | Heavy Load Carrier |
| 23 | High Speed Craft |
| 24 | Icebreaker |
| 25 | Inland Passenger Ship |
| 26 | Landing Craft |
| 27 | Livestock Carrier |
| 28 | LNG Tanker |
| 29 | LPG Tanker |
| 30 | Military Ops |
| 31 | Navigation Aids |
| 32 | OBO Carrier |
| 33 | Offshore Structure |
| 34 | Offshore Vessel |
| 35 | Oil Products Tanker |
| 36 | Oil/Chemical Tanker |
| 37 | Ore Carrier |
| 38 | Special Craft |
| 39 | Special Cargo |
| 40 | Special Fishing Vessel |
| 41 | Special Passenger Vessel |
| 42 | Other Pleasure Craft |
| 43 | Special Tanker |
| 45 | Passenger/Cargo Ship |
| 46 | Passenger Ship |
| 47 | Patrol Vessel |
| 48 | Pilot Boat |
| 49 | Platform |
| 50 | Pollution Control Vessel |
| 51 | Pusher Tug |
| 52 | Reefer |
| 53 | Research/Survey Vessel |
| 54 | Ro-Ro/Passenger Ship |
| 55 | Ro-Ro/Vehicles Carrier |
| 56 | Sailing Vessel |
| 57 | Search & Rescue |
| 58 | Service Vessel |
| 59 | Special Tug |
| 60 | Supply Vessel |
| 61 | Tanker |
| 62 | Training Ship |
| 63 | Trawler |
| 64 | Tug |
| 65 | Tug/Supply Vessel |
| 66 | Water Tanker |
| 67 | Yacht |
| 68 | Barge |
| 69 | Inland Tanker |
| 70 | Inland Cargo |
| 71 | Inland Tug |
| 900 | Unspecified |
| 902 | Other Fishing |
| 903 | Other Tug / Special Craft |
| 904 | High Speed Craft |
| 906 | Other Passenger Ship |
| 907 | Other Cargo |
| 908 | Other Tanker |