# VesselFinder Scraper (`crawlerbros/vessel-finder-scraper`) Actor Scrape real-time AIS vessel tracking data from VesselFinder.com - search by vessel name, look up by IMO or MMSI number, or find vessels near a port. Returns vessel type, flag, dimensions, position, speed, destination, and more. - **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/vessel-finder-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community) - **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Integrations - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## VesselFinder Scraper Extract real-time AIS vessel tracking data from [VesselFinder.com](https://www.vesselfinder.com/) — the free public vessel tracking platform powered by the global Automatic Identification System (AIS). ### What This Scraper Does This actor searches and retrieves vessel information including vessel identity, type, flag, physical dimensions, current position, speed, destination, and ETA. It supports four operating modes to suit different use cases. ### Use Cases - **Maritime intelligence** — track specific vessels by IMO or MMSI - **Fleet monitoring** — search all vessels matching a carrier name (e.g. "MSC", "Maersk") - **Port analytics** — find vessels associated with a specific port - **Shipping research** — collect AIS metadata for bulk vessel datasets ### Input | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `mode` | string | Operating mode: `search`, `byIMO`, `byMmsi`, or `byPort` | | `searchQuery` | string | Vessel name or partial name (mode=search) | | `imoNumbers` | array | List of IMO numbers (mode=byIMO) | | `mmsiNumbers` | array | List of MMSI numbers (mode=byMmsi) | | `portName` | string | Port name to search nearby vessels (mode=byPort) | | `maxItems` | integer | Max records to emit (1–200, default 10) | #### Example Input ```json { "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "MSC", "maxItems": 5 } ```` ### Output Each record contains: | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | `vesselName` | Official vessel name | | `imoNumber` | IMO identification number | | `mmsi` | MMSI radio identifier | | `vesselType` | Ship type (e.g. Container Ship, Tanker) | | `flag` | Country of registration | | `callSign` | Radio call sign | | `length` | Length overall in metres | | `width` | Beam in metres | | `grossTonnage` | Gross tonnage (GT) | | `deadweight` | Deadweight tonnage (DWT) | | `draught` | Current draught in metres | | `speed` | Current speed in knots | | `course` | Current course in degrees | | `destination` | Reported destination port | | `eta` | Estimated time of arrival | | `status` | AIS navigation status | | `lastSeen` | When position was last received | | `posLat` | Latitude | | `posLon` | Longitude | | `imageUrl` | Ship photo URL | | `vesselUrl` | VesselFinder vessel page URL | | `sourceUrl` | URL scraped | | `scrapedAt` | ISO timestamp | | `recordType` | Always `vessel` | #### Example Output ```json { "vesselName": "MSC AAYA", "imoNumber": "9927263", "mmsi": "636021770", "vesselType": "Container Ship", "flag": "Liberia", "callSign": "5LFP3", "length": 366.0, "width": 51.0, "grossTonnage": 150783, "deadweight": 180428, "vesselUrl": "https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9927263", "recordType": "vessel" } ``` ### Frequently Asked Questions **What is AIS data?** AIS (Automatic Identification System) is a maritime tracking system that broadcasts vessel position, identity, and voyage data. VesselFinder aggregates this public AIS data. **Is authentication required?** No. VesselFinder's public vessel pages are freely accessible. **How fresh is the data?** VesselFinder updates vessel positions as AIS signals are received — typically every few minutes for vessels in coverage areas. **What vessel types are covered?** All vessel types: container ships, tankers, bulk carriers, ferries, fishing vessels, yachts, and more. **How do I find a vessel's IMO number?** Use `mode=search` with the vessel name to find its IMO/MMSI, then use `mode=byIMO` for direct lookup. # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): What to fetch. ## `searchQuery` (type: `string`): Vessel name or partial name to search (mode=search). E.g. 'MSC', 'EVER GIVEN', 'CMA CGM'. ## `imoNumbers` (type: `array`): List of IMO numbers to look up (e.g. \['9811000', '9927263']). ## `mmsiNumbers` (type: `array`): List of MMSI numbers to look up (e.g. \['353136000']). ## `portName` (type: `string`): Port name to search vessels near (e.g. 'Rotterdam', 'Singapore', 'Shanghai'). ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of vessel records to emit. ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "MSC", "imoNumbers": [], "mmsiNumbers": [], "maxItems": 5 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `vessels` (type: `string`): Dataset containing all scraped vessel records. # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "MSC", "imoNumbers": [], "mmsiNumbers": [], "maxItems": 5 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/vessel-finder-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "MSC", "imoNumbers": [], "mmsiNumbers": [], "maxItems": 5, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("crawlerbros/vessel-finder-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "MSC", "imoNumbers": [], "mmsiNumbers": [], "maxItems": 5 }' | apify call crawlerbros/vessel-finder-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/vessel-finder-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "VesselFinder Scraper", "description": "Scrape real-time AIS vessel tracking data from VesselFinder.com - search by vessel name, look up by IMO or MMSI number, or find vessels near a port. Returns vessel type, flag, dimensions, position, speed, destination, and more.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "yMWfEGw6KtT3hgoft" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/crawlerbros~vessel-finder-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-crawlerbros-vessel-finder-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~vessel-finder-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-crawlerbros-vessel-finder-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~vessel-finder-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-crawlerbros-vessel-finder-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "mode" ], "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "enum": [ "search", "byIMO", "byMmsi", "byPort" ], "type": "string", "description": "What to fetch.", "default": "search" }, "searchQuery": { "title": "Vessel name search query", "type": "string", "description": "Vessel name or partial name to search (mode=search). E.g. 'MSC', 'EVER GIVEN', 'CMA CGM'.", "default": "MSC" }, "imoNumbers": { "title": "IMO numbers (mode=byIMO)", "type": "array", "description": "List of IMO numbers to look up (e.g. ['9811000', '9927263']).", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "mmsiNumbers": { "title": "MMSI numbers (mode=byMmsi)", "type": "array", "description": "List of MMSI numbers to look up (e.g. ['353136000']).", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "portName": { "title": "Port name (mode=byPort)", "type": "string", "description": "Port name to search vessels near (e.g. 'Rotterdam', 'Singapore', 'Shanghai')." }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 200, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of vessel records to emit.", "default": 10 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```