Oil Tanker Tracker API

API Knowledge zone

The Oil Tanker Tracker API is essential for monitoring global energy flows, crude oil logistics, and maritime traffic in real time. Oil tankers are among the most critical vessel types in global trade, transporting millions of barrels of crude oil and refined products across key shipping routes.

In this article, we’ll explore how to track oil tankers using AIS data and how the Datalastic Oil Tanker Tracker API helps you find, filter, and monitor tanker vessels worldwide.

Why Track Oil Tankers?

Oil tankers operate across major maritime corridors such as the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal, and the Strait of Malacca. Tracking them provides insights into:

Global oil supply and demand
Shipping delays and congestion
Geopolitical risks and disruptions
Fleet movement and operational efficiency

With an Oil Tanker Tracker API, you can access this data programmatically and integrate it into your own systems.

What Data Can You Get with Oil Tanker Tracker API?

Using the Datalastic API, you can retrieve detailed information about oil tankers, including:

IMO and MMSI identifiers
Vessel name and flag
Vessel type and subtype (e.g. crude oil tanker, product tanker)
Position (latitude and longitude)
Speed and destination
Historical tracking data

This is based on AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals transmitted by vessels globally.

How to Find Oil Tankers Using Oil Tanker Tracker API

The Vessel Finder endpoint allows you to search specifically for oil tankers by using the correct filters.

The core idea is simple:

Use type=cargo or directly filter by subtype
Use type_specific=oil_tanker to isolate oil tankers
Add optional filters like tonnage, country, or build year

This approach follows the same logic used in cargo vessel tracking workflows.

Steps to Access Oil Tanker Data via API

Get Your API Key: Sign up and receive your API key
Review API Documentation: Understand available filters and endpoints
Use Vessel Finder Endpoint: Apply oil tanker filters

API Request Example (Oil Tanker Tracker API)

This request returns all vessels classified as oil tankers in the database.

https://api.datalastic.com/api/v0/vessel_find?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY&type=tanker

Filtering Oil Tankers (Advanced Example)

You can refine your search further using additional parameters such as tonnage or country.

https://api.datalastic.com/api/v0/vessel_find?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY&type=tanker&type_specific=oil&deadweight_min=500

This example finds oil tankers with a deadweight above 50,000 tons registered in Greece.

Example API Response:

0 
uuid	"000da7b5-0d9d-9f1a-bab7-50dc9db860ce"
name	"SONGRIM HO"
name_ais	"SONGRIM HO"
mmsi	"440500300"
imo	"9323601"
eni	null
country_iso	"KR"
country_name	"South Korea"
callsign	"B210024"
type	"Tanker"
type_specific	"Oil or Chemical Tanker"
gross_tonnage	749
deadweight	1906
teu	null
liquid_gas	null
length	72.02
breadth	12
draught_avg	null
draught_max	null
speed_avg	3.8
speed_max	15
year_built	"2004"
is_navaid	false
home_port	"MATSUYAMA"
1 
uuid	"00104f00-50bc-967e-96bf-a976be872524"
name	"SS NAVIGATOR"
name_ais	"SS NAVIGATOR"
mmsi	"572638220"
imo	"9819040"
eni	null
country_iso	"TV"
country_name	"Tuvalu"
callsign	"T2YZ5"
type	"Tanker"
type_specific	"Oil Products Tanker"
gross_tonnage	3078
deadweight	4999
teu	null
liquid_gas	null
length	89.91
breadth	16
draught_avg	null
draught_max	null
speed_avg	3.3
speed_max	10
year_built	"2016"
is_navaid	false
home_port	"JAKARTA"

How Oil Tanker Tracker API Helps Your Business?

Beyond real-time tracking, the Oil Tanker Tracker API also supports flexible data access, making it easy to integrate vessel data into your workflows.

You can:

Export static vessel datasets (such as oil tanker fleets) in formats like Excel or CSV
Access fleet status data for monitoring groups of vessels over time
Retrieve maritime ports data via API to combine tanker positions with port activity
Work with real-time AIS data streams or request historical datasets for analysis

This flexibility allows you to move from simple tracking to full-scale data analysis, reporting, and integration into internal systems like ERP tools, dashboards, or trading platforms.

How many Oil and Gas Tankers we cover?

One thing that often gets overlooked is how big and complete the dataset actually is.

With Datalastic, you’re working with a database of 30,000+ tanker vessels, covering everything from large crude oil carriers to smaller product and chemical tankers.

What’s more interesting is that the data isn’t just one layer. Depending on the vessel, you get:

basic static details like size, build year, and identifiers
real-time AIS tracking data
historical movement patterns
additional technical or ownership data when available

This kind of coverage means you’re not just tracking a few ships. You’re looking at the global tanker fleet consistently, across regions and routes.

Get Your Oil Tanker Tracker API Key

Start using the Oil Tanker Tracker API to gain real-time visibility into global oil transportation and maritime activity.

Get Your Demo

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