ShippingRates MCP Server

Ocean container shipping intelligence for AI agents — real carrier tariff data, detention & demurrage, freight rates, vessel schedules, and total landed cost across 6 major carriers.

Remote MCP endpoint: https://mcp.shippingrates.org/mcp

Overview

ShippingRates gives AI agents access to structured, carrier-sourced data for container shipping decisions — D&D slab breakdowns, local port charges, inland haulage rates, freight rates, vessel schedules, port congestion, and full landed cost calculations.

Carriers covered: Maersk · Hapag-Lloyd · MSC · COSCO · ONE · CMA CGM

Quickstart

Connect any MCP-compatible client to the remote endpoint:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shippingrates": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.shippingrates.org/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Paid tools require an x402 USDC payment on Base or Solana. Free tools work without any payment.

Tools (24 total)

Free (no payment required)

Tool	Description
`shippingrates_stats`	Database statistics — record counts, carrier coverage, last updated
`shippingrates_lines`	List all shipping lines with country-level breakdowns
`shippingrates_search`	Cross-data keyword search across ports, carriers, charges
`shippingrates_fx`	Live exchange rates (USD base)

Paid (x402 USDC micropayments)

Tool	Price	Description
`dd_calculate`	$0.10	D&D slab breakdown by carrier, port, container type, and days over free time
`dd_compare`	$0.25	Cross-carrier D&D comparison at the same port
`local_charges`	$0.05	THC, documentation, seal, and BL fees by port and carrier
`inland_search`	$0.03	Search inland routes by origin/destination
`inland_haulage`	$0.05	Trucking and rail rates (12 origins, 72 destinations)
`inland_compare`	$0.08	Compare inland rates across carriers
`cfs_tariffs`	$0.05	CFS handling tariffs (APM Terminals — INMAA, INMUN)
`port`	$0.01	Port lookup by UN/LOCODE
`transit`	$0.02	Port-to-port transit times
`transit_schedules`	$0.03	Transit schedules with carrier service codes and frequency
`rates`	$0.03	Ocean spot freight rates with low/mid/high and trend
`surcharges`	$0.02	BAF, CAF, PSS surcharges by carrier
`congestion`	$0.02	Port congestion metrics and historical wait times
`congestion_news`	$0.02	Real-time shipping disruption news from 7 sources
`reliability`	$0.02	Schedule reliability (on-time %) by carrier
`vessel_schedule`	$0.02	Upcoming vessel calls at a port with ETA/ETD
`regulatory`	$0.01	Regulatory updates by country
`total_cost`	$0.15	Full landed cost: freight + surcharges + local charges + D&D
`facilities`	$0.02	India ICD/CFS facility directory
`risk_score`	$0.10	Composite route risk assessment (0–100 score)

Example: Calculate D&D for a shipment

Code

What are the detention and demurrage charges for a 20ft dry container at Nhava Sheva 
(INNSA) on Maersk if it's been 10 days over free time?

The dd_calculate tool returns a slab-by-slab breakdown with daily rates, total accrued, and free time details — sourced directly from Maersk's published tariff.

Payment

Paid tools use the x402 protocol — a standard for HTTP micropayments. When an agent calls a paid tool:

The server responds 402 Payment Required with a USDC payment details
The agent pays via Base Mainnet or Solana (USDC)
The agent retries with an X-PAYMENT header
Data is returned

Payment amounts range from $0.01 to $0.25 per call. No subscriptions, no API keys needed for basic access.

Free Tier

The API also offers a free tier: 25 API requests/month via api.shippingrates.org. Sign up at shippingrates.org.

Dashboard

Human-facing dashboard at app.shippingrates.org with D&D calculator, carrier comparator, inland routes explorer, vessel schedules, and rate calculator.

License

MIT

ShippingRates MCP Server README