How matching works

The four results

CONFIRMED HIT

A source record identifies the searched subject by a typed unique identifier: for a vessel its ship IMO number, for a company its IMO company number. It confirms a listing in the stated source and version, not whether a proposed service is lawful.

POTENTIAL MATCH

A name or alias matches or resembles the search, or a number appears in a record without being that subject's own identifier. A name alone is not a verified identity. Where the listed vessel carries a ship IMO, the result offers a recheck by that IMO.

NO CONFIRMED HIT

The input was valid, every source in the stated scope was checked successfully, and nothing matched. It is not sanctions clearance and does not cover ownership or control.

INSUFFICIENT DATA

The input was invalid or too short, or a source in scope was not checked, unavailable or out of date. Any match found is still shown.

A confirmed listing can be shown while other sources remain incomplete. Read the coverage beside it. Evidence from a retained older snapshot must show that its latest version could not be verified. A name-only match stays potential, even when the spelling is identical.

Ship IMO first

Names are reused, translated and changed. A seven-digit ship IMO number stays with the hull for its life and carries a check digit; the tool rejects numbers whose check digit does not match. IMO company numbers use a different scheme and are searched on the Company name tab.

Identifier types

Each number found in a list is typed by the field and label it comes from: Ship IMO on vessel records, Company IMO on organisation records, and IMO number in remarks for any other mention. Only a ship IMO on a vessel record, or a company IMO on an organisation record, can produce a confirmed hit. "Linked to" statements are shown as the source states them; they are not verified ownership.

Name matching

Names are compared in this order: the same full name; the same name apart from legal form (LTD, PTE, DMCC and similar); the same name apart from spacing; then similar spelling, including transposed letters. Vessel prefixes such as M/V and MT are ignored. Former names and non-Latin aliases published by the source are included. Distinct legal entities keep their own records even when their names differ only in legal form.

Limits

• A spelling error in both the first and the last letter of every word may not be found.
• Individuals, including individual beneficial owners: not checked.
• Ownership and control: not assessed. Exceptions and licences: not assessed for your transaction.
• Flag, age, trading area or port calls are not treated as evidence of a listing.