VesselFinder and MarineTraffic are excellent products if you live in their UI. They get expensive the moment you need AIS in your own app: positions, search, port congestion, a fleet list — as JSON, on a schedule you control.
Vessels API is that layer: https://vessels-api.com/api/V1, one X-API-Key, 18 endpoints, same JSON envelope on every call. 7-day free trial. Starter is $19.99/mo for 2,500 requests (60 req/min). Full reference: vessels-api.com/docs.
AIS data you were about to scrape
- Where is this IMO right now?
- Search by name / flag before you have an IMO.
- Ships near a point, expected arrivals, congestion at a port.
- IMO CII (A–E) for an ESG report.
That is /vessel/position, /vessels/search, /vessels/nearby, /port/expected-arrivals, /ports/congestion, and /vessels/green. You can try 17 of them on the homepage with 5 demo calls and no signup. The 18th — official-feed live AIS — is /vessel/live-position (quota on Professional and Business; it does not consume the standard request pool).
AIS API: search a vessel, then get position
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
"https://vessels-api.com/api/V1/vessels/search?query=atlantic&per_page=20"
Response shape from the docs (IMO 9702510, bulk carrier ZJ ATLANTIC, flag Liberia):
{
"status": 200,
"success": true,
"message": "OK",
"data": {
"vessels": [
{
"imo": "9702510",
"name": "ZJ ATLANTIC",
"flag": "Liberia",
"vessel_type": "Bulk Carrier",
"deadweight_tonnage": "60200",
"year_built": "2010",
"length_m": 294.0
}
]
}
}
Then last-known position. The parameter is imoCode (7-digit IMO), not imo:
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
"https://vessels-api.com/api/V1/vessel/position?imoCode=9702510"
/vessel/position is the stable singular-path endpoint. For position history (up to 168 hours), active route and recent port calls, use /vessels/track. Every response is { status, success, message, data }. 401 = bad key, 404 = unknown IMO/MMSI, 429 = monthly quota used. No overage invoice: it just stops until the next cycle.
VesselFinder vs Vessels API
| VesselFinder / MarineTraffic | Vessels API | |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Human maps, alerts, fleets in their product | JSON in your product |
| Auth | Enterprise contracts, mixed APIs | One header, self-serve |
| Entry price | Usually sales-led | $19.99/mo Starter after a 7-day trial |
| Live AIS | Product feature | /vessel/live-position on Professional+ (separate monthly allowance) |
| Agents | — | MCP at mcp.vessels-api.com |
Keep VesselFinder if operators need their map. Use Vessels API when engineering owns the integration. Starter already includes search, tracking, position, ports, fleet and CII. Upgrade to Professional when you need the official-feed live endpoint quota.
Jobs that usually start as “we’ll scrape VesselFinder”
- ETA / operations. Search by name →
imoCode→/vessel/position. Port congestion and expected arrivals are first-class paths, not HTML tables. - ESG / CII.
/vessels/greenreturns IMO CII (A–E). That is the report field, not a screenshot of a map legend. - Fleet watch. A JSON list of IMOs on a cron beats a human refreshing a UI. Live official AIS (
/vessel/live-position) is the Professional+ quota if you outgrow last-known position.
Go live with the AIS REST API
1. Sign up and start the 7-day trial.
2. Copy the key from the dashboard. Send it as X-API-Key.
3. Call /vessels/search?query=atlantic then /vessel/position?imoCode=9702510.
4. Use /vessels/track for history (up to 168 hours). Live official feed is /vessel/live-position on Professional/Business.
Docs: vessels-api.com/docs. Product: vessels-api.com. Support: [email protected], Mon–Fri 8am–5pm EST.
FAQ: VesselFinder API alternative
Is Vessels API a VesselFinder scraper?
No. It is a REST API with a documented JSON envelope. Demo calls run on the homepage; production uses your key. /vessel/live-position is the official AIS feed and sits on Professional/Business with its own quota.
What is the first call I should make?
GET /vessels/search if you only have a name; then GET /vessel/position?imoCode= for the last known AIS fix. History is /vessels/track (up to 7 days).
Does Starter include live AIS?
Starter includes real-time position via /vessel/position. The premium official-feed path /vessel/live-position is a separate monthly allowance on Professional (100/mo) and Business (400/mo).
