I think the answer lies in the designation + colour of CABU marker as per Marine Traffic. It seems CABU (Green icon)over-rides tanker (red icon) in their codings attached to individual ships names. Nothing to do with AIS. Someone in Marine Traffic made the decision ..if its a CABU ..as all CABU's are on Marine Traffic ... then green coded.

Pieter, Marinetraffic can not add or change anything regarding a vessel's AIS. They only redistribute information which already is on a vessel's AIS. If they (or any other third-party) are allowed to do anything with the AIS, then we will see many strange and funny things showing up. Information on AIS which is not locked, can only be changed by the vessel itself.

Arnes, Thanks you, very interesting. Marine Traffic gives this info about the vessel type:

Vessel Type - Generic: Tanker - Hazard A (Major)
Vessel Type - Detailed: Cabu Carrier

Provided by Class? She is registered on the Marshall Islands, so I don't expect much to come from their Maritime Directorate.

Our designated radio-firm had to be contacted when we needed to change some of the locked information. This radio-firm also installed the AIS to all company's ships when we first got AIS, then they already had most information ready. I'm not sure,but I think they got the information from classification company or Maritime Directorate. I was told this is for AIS class A vessels only; class B (smaller private sailingboats, yachts etc.) can do all this by themself.

So Arnes, the question is then, how does the information get in the AIS system? In other words, who does that pre-programming?

Some of the information given by AIS (like ship type)is pre-programmed and locked, and cannot be changed by those on board or Marinetraffic. You have to call an approved instrument (radio) company to change some of the information

Confusion ..sister ships in Marine Traffic all coded green whereas in Vesselfinder all coloured orange (tanker). Information source?

Isn't the ship type programmed into the AIS transponder itself (i.e. on the vessel), and not by Marinetraffic and other tracking sites? Changing the ship type setting in the AIS transponder usually requires a password and approval from flagstate/class, so I guess that combination carriers decide on one or the other when the vessel is delivered and then stick to it regardless of type of cargo currently being carried.

BRGDS / foggy

Chas, the ship is seen discharging liquids. I assume that even the people at Marine Traffic can identify an oil terminal....The SKS obo ships that are still operating are red.

As its a CABU with flexibility to switch between dry and liquid cargo shipments could be transporting dry at time/Marine Traffic. Is the colour code going to be changed every time from wet to dry cargo ie is anybody bothered about changing?
Question ..how is/was PROBO colour coded?

Definitely orange to me Pieter !

Lorna.