vesselapi-mcp

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

• 23 tools covering vessels, ports, location search, emissions, and maritime safety
• Vessel search, positions (single and batch), ETA, classification, ownership, emissions, inspections, and casualties
• Port search, details, port events (arrivals/departures), and global port event search
• Geographic vessel search (bounding box and radius)
• NAVTEX maritime safety messages
• Manual pagination to control API quota usage

Quick Start

No installation required — just configure your AI client with npx:

{
  "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/settings.json or ~/.claude/settings.json
Windsurf	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Tools

Vessel Tools

Tool	Description
search_vessels	Search vessels by name, IMO, MMSI, flag, type, callsign, year built, class society, or owner
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_classification	Get classification details (class society, surveys, hull)
get_vessel_ownership	Get ownership details (owner, manager, operator)
get_vessel_emissions	Get emissions data (CO2, fuel consumption)
get_vessel_inspections	Get port state control inspections
get_vessel_casualties	Get marine casualty records
get_vessel_inspection_detail	Get detailed information about a specific inspection
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_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)

Safety Tools

Tool	Description
get_navtex_messages	Get NAVTEX maritime safety messages

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

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

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

Testing with MCP Inspector

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

License

MIT