# 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:** 13 total users, 4 monthly users, 94.4% runs succeeded, 0 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 web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# 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 <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/hlLsDXd5SdxGeYMzf/builds/yMWfEGw6KtT3hgoft/openapi.json