Is There A Vessel Finder API To Check Where A Ship Is Located?

The answer is yes! In this article, we’ll recommend a solid option for any maritime operation.

The maritime industry is a vital part of the global economy, facilitating 90% of the world’s trade by volume and contributing over $4 trillion to the global GDP. However, despite its economic significance, the industry faces various challenges, including operational inefficiencies, safety concerns, and environmental risks.

One critical challenge is the lack of real-time visibility into vessel movements, which hampers decision-making and leads to suboptimal operations. Traditional vessel tracking methods rely on manual reporting, which is slow, error-prone, and lacks accuracy. This results in delays, increased costs, and increased risks of accidents or environmental incidents. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive vessel tracking solution that provides real-time, accurate, and actionable data to optimize maritime operations and mitigate risks. Luckily, today’s technology has made great leaps forward, and through the use of a vessel finder API, these problems can be turned into opportunities.

We recommend Zyla’s Vessel Traffic Information API because it’s extremely versatile in its function and ease of integration. With it, the market can be impacted in several ways, such as:

1. Improved Supply Chain Visibility: Supply chain visibility is critical for businesses to manage their inventory, plan production, and ensure on-time deliveries. Vessel Traffic Information API offers real-time tracking of vessels, allowing businesses to gain full visibility into their supply chain. This enables better planning, reduced stockouts, and improved demand forecasting. Businesses can also proactively manage disruptions, such as port congestion or adverse weather conditions, by leveraging historical data and predictive analytics provided by the vessel finder API.
2. Enhanced Security and Risk Management: Maritime security and risk management are paramount concerns for the industry. Tracking ships in a designated location anywhere in the globe enables early detection of any deviations from planned routes, suspicious activities, or potential security breaches. This allows stakeholders to take proactive measures to mitigate risks, such as piracy, smuggling, or illegal fishing. The use of a vessel finder API also facilitates compliance with international regulations, such as the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requirements, by providing accurate data on ship positions and routes.

How Does This API Work?

Zyla’s Vessel Traffic Information API is very easy to use and integrate into either an app or website. It has several options to track ships, as the parameters to perform a search include a ship’s number, or a particular set of coordinates; latitude, and longitude, in which case you will get a list of all the vessels that are located in that area. After a quick search you’ll receive information like the destination port, departure port, and general information about the ship like its max draught, its longitude, and more.  The output looks like this, in this case, the input was a ship’s IMO code:

{
  "status": 200,
  "success": true,
  "message": "IMO Code 9270622 is valid",
  "data": {
    "imo_number": "9270622",
    "vessel_name": "AQUAMAN",
    "ship_type": "Offshore Tug/Supply Ship",
    "flag": "Vanuatu",
    "gross_tonnage": "2332",
    "summer_deadweight_t": "2162",
    "length_overall_m": "69",
    "beam_m": "16",
    "year_of_built": "2003"
  }
}

To make use of it, you must first:
1- Go to Vessel Traffic Information API and simply click on the button “Try Free For 7-Days” to start using the API.
2- Employ the different API endpoints depending on what you are looking for.
3- Once you meet your needed endpoint, make the API call by pressing the button “run” and see the results on your screen.