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

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

Resources: Documentation | API Explorer | Dashboard | Contact Support

Features

• 16 tools covering vessels, ports, location search, and maritime safety
• Vessel search, positions, ETA, classification, ownership, emissions, inspections, and casualties
• Port search, details, and port events (arrivals/departures)
• 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, or callsign | | 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 |

Port Tools

| Tool | Description | |---|---| | search_ports | Search ports by name, country, type, or region | | 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 |

Location Tools

| Tool | Description | |---|---| | get_vessels_in_area | Find vessels in a bounding box | | get_vessels_in_radius | Find vessels within a radius of a point |

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