Port of Rabaul
In short
Rabaul: no ships detected in port from AIS in the last 3 days (as of Oct 2, 2026, 08:44 UTC). Coverage depends on AIS reception in the area.
- In port now
- 0
- Arrivals, last 24 h
- 0
- Departures, last 24 h
- 0
- Ships nearby, last 6 h
- 0
Vessels near Rabaul
Ships Voydar received on AIS near the port in the last 6 hours, most recent first. Being near a port is not a port call; the board above lists calls.
No vessels detected near Rabaul in the last 6 hours. As our AIS coverage grows, arrivals and departures will appear here live.
Harbour & facilities
Harbour particulars for Rabaul from the NGA World Port Index (WPI port no. 56810). Depths in metres as charted by NGA.
- Harbour size
- Small
- Harbour type
- Coastal (natural)
- Shelter
- Excellent
- Channel depth
- 23 m
- Anchorage depth
- 14 m
- Cargo pier depth
- 23 m
- Oil terminal depth
- 8 m
- Pilotage compulsory
- Yes
- First port of entry
- Yes
- Repairs
- Limited
Source: NGA World Port Index (Pub. 150). Licence: US Government public domain.
Not for navigation.
Forecast
Model forecast for Rabaul over the next 72 hours, every 6 hours: wind, gusts, waves and visibility. Times in UTC.
| Time (UTC) | Wind (kn) | From | Gusts (kn) | Waves (m) | Period (s) | Visibility (km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 157° | 25 | 1 | 5 | 24 | |
| 16 | 160° | 22 | 0.8 | 5 | 24 | |
| 14 | 161° | 20 | 0.7 | 5 | 24 | |
| 12 | 150° | 20 | 0.7 | 4 | 24 | |
| 13 | 150° | 22 | 0.8 | 4 | 24 | |
| 14 | 162° | 20 | 0.8 | 4 | 24 | |
| 10 | 163° | 15 | 0.6 | 6 | 24 | |
| 10 | 148° | 16 | 0.5 | 5 | 24 | |
| 14 | 149° | 23 | 0.8 | 4 | 24 | |
| 17 | 158° | 24 | 0.9 | 4 | 24 | |
| 12 | 160° | 18 | 0.6 | 4 | 24 | |
| 10 | 138° | 16 | 0.5 | 4 | 24 |
Forecast: ECMWF IFS 0.25° + ECMWF WAM, run of Oct 2, 2026, 00:00 UTC. Visibility: NOAA GFS 0.25° + GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III), run of Oct 2, 2026, 00:00 UTC. Waves are taken from the wave model's nearest sea point, 9 km away.
Source: ECMWF open data (IFS 0.25° forecasts, ECMWF WAM waves). This service is based on data and products of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Source: www.ecmwf.int. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Licence: CC-BY-4.0 + ECMWF Terms of Use.
Source: NOAA GFS 0.25° and GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III) forecasts. Forecast: NOAA NCEP GFS / GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III). Licence: US Government work (public domain); NOAA Open Data Dissemination.
A model forecast, not an observation. Not for navigation.
Rabaul: daily port calls from satellite AIS (IMF PortWatch)
Estimates published by the International Monetary Fund's PortWatch, built from satellite and terrestrial AIS. They cover waters our own receivers do not reach yet. These are the IMF's figures, not Voydar's counts.
The IMF estimates 3 port calls in the 7 days and 17 in the 30 days to Sep 25, 2026. That is 15% less than the same 30 days a year earlier (20).
- Container
- 10
- Tanker
- 3
- Dry bulk
- 0
- General cargo
- 4
- Ro-ro
- 0
Estimated cargo loaded and discharged in those 30 days: 0 million tonnes.
09-12 1 | 09-13 1 | 09-14 0 | 09-15 0 | 09-16 0 | 09-17 0 | 09-18 1 | 09-19 0 | 09-20 1 | 09-21 0 | 09-22 0 | 09-23 1 | 09-24 0 | 09-25 1 |
Sources: Kpler; UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org). IMF estimates, updated weekly; the latest days are revised. portwatch.imf.org. Counts cover container ships, tankers, dry bulk, general cargo and ro-ro vessels (30-day totals above).
Piracy and anti-shipping incidents nearby
4 incidents within 100 km of the port in NGA's Anti-Shipping Activity Messages (ASAM) archive since Jul 27, 2004. NGA stopped updating the archive in 2024. The most recent:
- IncidentJul 29, 2021Tanker6 km away
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: On 29 July, two robbers boarded the Singapore-flagged tanker PUFFIN PACIFIC anchored in Rabaul Anchorage, near position 04-15S 152-11E. The robbers were able to board the tanker and enter the accommodation area through a door on the starboard side upper deck. The robbers were spotted by duty crew members and the alarm was raised. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers made their escape with a laptop they had been able to steal from the ship's office. They used the port anchor chai
- IncidentJul 29, 2021Tanker6 km away
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: On 29 July, two robbers boarded the Singapore-flagged tanker PUFFIN PACIFIC anchored in Rabaul Anchorage, near position 04-15S 152-11E. The robbers were able to board the tanker and enter the accommodation area through a door on the starboard side upper deck. The robbers were spotted by duty crew members and the alarm was raised. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers made their escape with a laptop they had been able to steal from the ship's office. They used the port anchor chai
- Pirate AssaultNov 26, 2014Sailing Vessel17 km away
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: On 26 November, 4 robbers boarded a sailing yacht near position 04-20S 152-16E, Kokopo, New Britain Island. They tied up the captain and threatened him and a passenger with a machete. The passenger chased one robber from the boat, and the robber took a wallet and a laptop on the way out, as the rest of them escaped. Local police notified.
- Pirate AssaultJul 27, 2004Merchant Vessel1 km away
PAPUA-NEW GUINEA: The 353-ton Ro/ro (HURIS) was boarded and robbed 27 Jul shortly after its arrival in the early morning hours at Ah Tam Wharf, Rabaul. Five men armed with 3 home-made guns and a bush knife escaped with a "substantial" amount of cash and checks. The men were said to have known when the ship would arrive and used their weapons to threaten the crew, who were also forced to open a "secret" compartment containing the cash and documents (INFO).
Source: NGA Anti-Shipping Activity Messages. This reproduction, partial or complete, of any National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) or Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) product, information or data is not approved, authorized or endorsed by the Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director, NGA or any other element of the US Government. The US Government and NGA accept no liability for the accuracy or quality of this reproduction or the use of any NGA, NIMA or DMA products, information or data. Licence: US Government work — "NGA claims no copyright or other intellectual property right".
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