VesselAPI MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes maritime data from the VesselAPI to AI assistants like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and Claude Code.

Prerequisites

Sign up at dashboard.vesselapi.com
Create an API token in your dashboard
Use the token as VESSELAPI_API_KEY in the configuration below

Resources: Documentation | API Explorer | Dashboard | Contact Support

Features

19 tools covering vessels, ports, location search, and emissions
Vessel search, positions (single and batch), ETA, emissions, and casualties
Port search, details, port events (arrivals/departures), and global port event search
Geographic vessel search (bounding box and radius)
Manual pagination to control API quota usage

Hosted deployment

A hosted deployment is available on Fronteir AI.

Quick Start

No installation required. Configure your AI client with npx:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vesselapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "vesselapi-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VESSELAPI_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration

Add the JSON above to the config file for your client:

Client	Config file
Claude Desktop	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` (macOS) or `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` (Windows)
Cursor	`.cursor/mcp.json` or `~/.cursor/mcp.json`
Claude Code	`claude mcp add`, which writes `.mcp.json` in the project or `~/.claude.json` for user scope
Windsurf	`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`

Tools

Vessel Tools

Tool	Description
`search_vessels`	Search vessels by name, IMO, MMSI, flag, type, callsign, or year built
`get_vessel`	Get detailed vessel information
`get_vessel_position`	Get current vessel position (lat/lon, speed, heading)
`get_vessel_eta`	Get vessel estimated time of arrival
`get_vessel_emissions`	Get emissions data (CO2, fuel consumption)
`get_vessel_casualties`	Get marine casualty records
`get_vessel_positions_batch`	Get positions for multiple vessels at once (with optional time range)

Port Tools

Tool	Description
`search_ports`	Search ports by name, country, type, size, region, harbor size, or harbor use
`get_port`	Get port details by UN/LOCODE
`get_port_inbound`	Get vessels inbound to a port within an ETA window
`get_port_events`	Get arrivals/departures for a port
`get_port_events_by_vessel`	Get port events for a vessel
`list_port_events`	List port events globally with filters for time, country, port, vessel, or event type
`search_port_events_by_port`	Search port events by port name
`search_port_events_by_vessel`	Search port events by vessel name
`get_vessel_last_port_event`	Get the most recent port event for a vessel

Emissions Tools

Tool	Description
`list_emissions`	List global vessel emissions data with optional year filter

Location Tools

Tool	Description
`get_vessels_in_area`	Find vessels in a bounding box (with optional time range)
`get_vessels_in_radius`	Find vessels within a radius of a point (with optional time range)

Pagination

All list endpoints support limit and nextToken parameters for manual pagination. When more results exist, the response includes a nextToken. Pass it in the next call to get the next page.

Development

bash

git clone https://github.com/vessel-api/vesselapi-mcp.git
cd vesselapi-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Terminal

npm run build        # Build the server
npm run typecheck    # Type-check without emitting
npm run clean        # Remove build artifacts

Testing with MCP Inspector

bash

VESSELAPI_API_KEY=your-key npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js

Data Sources & Attribution

Emissions and casualty data: © European Union. Source: European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA): THETIS-MRV (EU MRV, Regulation (EU) 2015/757) and the European Marine Casualty Information Platform (EMCIP). Reused under the European Commission reuse notice (Commission Decision 2011/833/EU), which authorises reuse for commercial and non-commercial purposes with acknowledgement of the source. Data may be transformed and combined; EMSA does not endorse this service.

License

MIT