vessel-api/vesselapi-mcp

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
- **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 port event search across all covered ports
- Geographic vessel search (bounding box and radius)
- Manual pagination to control API quota usage
Quick Start
No installation required. Configure your AI client with npx:
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 the latest stored vessel position (lat/lon, speed, heading, timestamp); it may be hours or days old |
| get_vessel_eta | Get the ETA the vessel last reported (declared, not predicted) |
| get_vessel_emissions | Get EU MRV emissions reports (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 reporting a port as their destination, within an ETA window |
| get_port_events | Get arrivals/departures for a port (last 2 hours unless timeFrom is given) |
| get_port_events_by_vessel | Get port events for a vessel (last 2 hours unless timeFrom is given) |
| list_port_events | List port events across all covered ports, 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 EU MRV emissions reports, with an optional reporting-year filter |