# Straits.live Vessel Sanctions & Risk Lookup by IMO

> Straits.live Vessel Sanctions & Risk Lookup by IMO is a paid API for AI agents from straits.live, paid per call via x402, $0.02/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-13).

Returns real-time sanctions status, risk band, identity, and ownership details for a specific vessel identified by IMO number, in the context of Strait of Hormuz closure monitoring.

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://straits.live/api/premium/vessel/%7Bimo%7D
- Price: $0.02/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-13
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/straits-live-vessel-sanctions-risk-lookup-by-imo-e40d9ffc
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_8HhgXPSiTx4ROCGq0JnhV

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability straits-live-vessel-sanctions-risk-lookup-by-imo-e40d9ffc
```

Example prompt: Can you check the sanctions status and risk band for vessel IMO 9562233 — I need to know if it's listed by OFAC or the UK and who the owner is before we proceed with the charter.

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you need real-time vessel-level sanctions screening by IMO number, especially for vessels potentially involved in Strait of Hormuz transits or shadow fleet activity. Prefer this over generic maritime databases when you need OFAC and UK sanctions list coverage combined with a risk band rating and current geopolitical context around the Hormuz closure.

## Known failure modes

- Invalid or unknown IMO number returns empty or error response
- IMO not found in database returns no sanctions data
- Payment not accepted (402) if x402 micropayment header is missing or invalid
- Rate limiting if too many requests are made in short succession
- Stale data risk if vessel sanctions status recently changed between 5-minute update cycles

## How this service works

Is the Strait of Hormuz open? Effectively no, it is closed to commercial shipping as of 13 July 2026. 34 ships transited vs ~88/day normal. Brent $81.10. Updated every 5 minutes.

## Output

A JSON object containing the vessel's IMO number, name, flag state, ship type, owner, a risk band classification (e.g. 'high'), a boolean sanctioned flag, and a detailed breakdown of sanctions listings including the sanctioning bodies (e.g. OFAC, UK), authority names, and listed dates.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "properties": {
   "type": "string"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "imo": "9562233",
  "schema": "https://straits.live/api/premium/vessel",
  "identity": {
   "flag": "Comoros",
   "name": "Petrel 8",
   "owner": "...",
   "shipType": "Bulk Carrier"
  },
  "riskBand": "high",
  "sanctions": {
   "bodies": [
    {
     "body": "uk",
     "owner": "...",
     "authority": "UK Sanctions List (FCDO/OFSI)",
     "listedDate": "2017-10-03"
    }
   ],
   "listedBy": [
    "ofac",
    "uk"
   ]
  },
  "sanctioned": true
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/straits-live-vessel-sanctions-risk-lookup-by-imo-e40d9ffc/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from straits.live](https://www.zero.xyz/host/straits.live/llms.txt)