Vessel Traffic MCP

Name: Vessel Traffic MCP
Author: tools-mcp

@tools-mcp

Repository Homepage

About Vessel Traffic MCP

Read-only MCP server for vessel AIS, ship tracking, schedules, and BYOK maritime providers

Basic information

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vessel-traffic-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@tools-mcp/vessel-traffic-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "VESSEL_MCP_TRANSPORT": "stdio",
        "VESSEL_MCP_ENABLE_PUBLIC_PROVIDERS": "myshiptracking,tradlinx"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools

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Overview

What is Vessel Traffic MCP?

Vessel Traffic MCP is a read-only Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for vessel identity lookup, AIS-style positions, tracks, port calls, carrier schedules, vessel schedules, and delay heuristics. It gives Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, MCP Inspector, and other MCP clients a normalized maritime-data tool surface.

How to use Vessel Traffic MCP?

Install as an npm package using npx -y @tools-mcp/vessel-traffic-mcp in your MCP client configuration. Set environment variables like VESSEL_MCP_TRANSPORT=stdio and VESSEL_MCP_ENABLE_PUBLIC_PROVIDERS=myshiptracking,tradlinx. After restarting the client, invoke tools such as "Find the current position of EVER GIVEN" or "Search carrier schedules from KRPUS to NLRTM".

Key features of Vessel Traffic MCP

Read-only maritime data tools via MCP protocol.
Vessel identity search by name, MMSI, IMO, or callsign.
AIS-style positions, area queries, and track retrieval.
Port call and shipping schedule search and delay prediction.
Source attribution: every live response includes source.provider and source.landingUrl.
Runs with fixtures by default; no API keys required for testing.

Use cases of Vessel Traffic MCP

Retrieve current position and track of a named vessel.
Resolve a vessel from a bill-of-lading text or identifier.
Find which vessels are in a geographic area.
Search container-shipping schedules by port pair or vessel.
Test maritime workflow automation before purchasing paid AIS or schedule APIs.

FAQ from Vessel Traffic MCP

Do I need an API key to use Vessel Traffic MCP?

No. By default the server uses deterministic fixtures for testing without network, accounts, or API keys. Commercial providers are Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) and can be enabled with environment variables.

Is Vessel Traffic MCP a navigation product?

No. The project explicitly states it is not a navigation product.

What data providers are supported?

The server supports a fixture default (no network), public opt-in providers like myshiptracking and tradlinx, and BYOK commercial/community APIs configured via VESSEL_MCP_ENABLE_BYOK_PROVIDERS.

What transport methods does Vessel Traffic MCP support?

It supports stdio (default) and Streamable HTTP. For HTTP, set VESSEL_MCP_TRANSPORT=http and optionally VESSEL_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN for bearer token authentication.

Where can I find the source code and installation instructions?

The project is hosted on GitHub (tools-mcp/vessel-traffic-mcp) and published on npm as @tools-mcp/vessel-traffic-mcp. Detailed client setup is in the docs/runbooks/clients.md file.