What can you do with this server?

The VesselAPI MCP Server provides maritime data access through tools for AI assistants, covering vessel tracking, port information, geographic search, and safety alerts. Vessel Information & Tracking * Search vessels by name, IMO, MMSI, flag, type, or callsign * Retrieve current position (latitude, longitude, speed, heading), ETA, classification details (class society, surveys, hull info), ownership (owner, manager, operator), emissions data (CO2, fuel consumption), port state control inspection records, and marine casualty records Port Information & Events * Search ports by name, country, type, or region * Get detailed port information by UN/LOCODE * Retrieve port events (arrivals/departures) for a specific port or vessel Geographic Search * Find vessels within a rectangular bounding box (lat/lon) * Find vessels within a specified radius (nautical miles) from a point Maritime Safety * Access NAVTEX messages including navigational warnings and weather forecasts General Features * All list endpoints support pagination via limit and nextToken parameters to control API quota usage * Requires a VESSELAPI_API_KEY from dashboard.vesselapi.com

VesselAPI MCP Server

npm Node License: MIT

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

Install Server

A

security – no known vulnerabilities

A

license - permissive license

A

quality - confirmed to work

How are these scores calculated?

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Related Servers

VesselAPI MCP Server

VesselAPI MCP Server

Prerequisites

Features

Quick Start

Configuration

Tools

Vessel Tools

Port Tools

Emissions Tools

Location Tools

Safety Tools

Development

Testing with MCP Inspector

License

Resources

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