• MATCH
  • CLEAR
  • REVIEW
  • LOG

How to verify shipping vessel status with your AI

Connect OpenSanctions to your AI client to run instant checks on maritime entities. Your agent handles the lookup while you manage the risk.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

Can my AI check if a ship is sanctioned?

Yes. You provide an IMO number or a vessel name, and your AI uses OpenSanctions data to identify sanctioned ships and logistics companies. This allows you to flag high-risk entities in your supply chain. You'll see the specific hits and company links below.

Risk outcomes.

Where your data lands.

The AI processes your queries and organizes the results into these categories.

MATCH

Sanctioned entities found

The AI identifies direct hits for vessels or companies on sanction lists. You get the specific names and identifiers that triggered the alert.

CLEAR

No matches found

The AI confirms that the provided IMO or name does not appear in the current sanction datasets. This provides a baseline for your due diligence.

REVIEW

Needs human eyes

The AI flags partial matches or ambiguous names that require a person to verify. You decide if these edge cases represent real risks.

LOG

Risk audit trail

The AI summarizes the findings into a report format. You can use this to document why a specific shipment was cleared or blocked.

The workflow

What your AI does when a vessel name arrives.

Your agent acts as the bridge between your questions and the OpenSanctions database.

  1. Identify the vessel

    The AI takes the name or IMO number you provide and looks up the specific maritime entity.

    search_vessel

  2. Check the company

    If the vessel is linked to a specific owner or operator, the AI checks that organization too.

    search_company

  3. Cross-reference sanctions

    The AI compares the vessel and company data against global sanction lists to find hits.

    search_vesselsearch_company

  4. Summarize risk

    The AI compiles the hits into a clear summary of why the entity is flagged.

    search_vessel

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to begin your screening.

Starting points

Replace the bracketed text with your actual vessel names or IMO numbers.

OpenSanctions Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ZsvZF1zehQBkE9Qy8D6NL3kDsgqsOFIaEJphQI9f/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — OpenSanctions capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "opensanctions-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ZsvZF1zehQBkE9Qy8D6NL3kDsgqsOFIaEJphQI9f/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Check if the vessel with IMO number [insert number] is on any sanction lists.

  • Search for any sanctioned companies associated with [insert vessel name].

  • Is [insert company name] currently flagged for sanctions in the OpenSanctions database?

  • Run a risk check on the vessel [insert vessel name] and its parent company.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect OpenSanctions once, then ask.

One click connects this MCP to your client. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start querying immediately.

Connect OpenSanctions to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves.

  • 01

    Can the AI block a shipment automatically?

    No. The AI only identifies and reports the status. You must take the manual action to block or stop a shipment.

  • 02

    Does the AI update the sanction lists itself?

    No. The AI only reads the data provided by OpenSanctions. It cannot modify or add new entries to the sanction lists.

  • 03

    Can I search by vessel name instead of IMO?

    Yes. You can use either the vessel name or the IMO number to perform a search.

  • 04

    Will the AI delete my search history?

    No. The AI does not have the capability to delete data or logs; it only performs searches.

  • 05

    Does this work for both ships and companies?

    Yes. The tools allow the AI to search for both specific vessels and the companies that operate them.

  • More questions about OpenSanctions? See everything the OpenSanctions Connector can do

Connect OpenSanctions to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more