English: Containership Encounter outbound on the Clyde Estuary, destination Bilbao, 4 July 2014.
Little Cumbrae can be seen on the left, the Isle of Arran on the right.
Information about Encounter may be found at IMO 9255775. A ship can change name and flag state through time, but the IMO number remains the same through the hull's entire lifetime. As a result, it can be useful to identify a ship by using the IMO number.