Maritime data is expensive and mostly behind commercial terms, so the useful thing here is being able to build and test the whole workflow against deterministic fixtures before deciding whether to buy anything. Two other choices stand out: every live result carries the provider and a landing URL, and the onboarding tool is explicitly read-only — it tells you what a provider requires and does not attempt to sign you up. The project is also direct that it does not bypass provider terms, paywalls or access controls, and that it is not a navigation product.
A read-only MCP server for maritime data: vessel identity, AIS-style positions and tracks, port calls, carrier and vessel schedules, and delay heuristics, normalised into one tool surface. The default path uses fixtures with no network and no accounts, so you can test a maritime workflow before paying for an AIS or schedule API.
- Generic connector-style entry points, `search` and `fetch`, for clients that expect that shape
- Vessel identity — `vessel_search`, `vessel_name_resolve`, and `document_vessel_lookup` for pulling a vessel out of bill-of-lading text
- AIS-style movement: `vessel_position` for where it is, `vessel_track` for where it has been, and `vessel_area` for which vessels are in a region
- `port_calls` for port activity
- Shipping schedules — `carrier_schedule_search` by port pair or vessel, `vessel_schedule`, and `schedule_delay_predict`
- Provider setup as its own tools: `provider_status`, `data_sources`, `credential_profiles`, and `provider_onboarding`, which is read-only and inspects signup URLs, required environment variables, configured profile status and validation steps — it never creates accounts, accepts terms, solves CAPTCHA or issues keys
- Provenance on every live or public-provider response: `source.provider` and `source.landingUrl`, so results route back to the original service rather than being rebranded
No account for the default path, which is fixture-only: deterministic data, no network, no keys. Install with `npx -y @tools-mcp/vessel-traffic-mcp` in any stdio client — Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor or VS Code — with `VESSEL_MCP_TRANSPORT` set to `stdio`. Public web adapters are opt-in through `VESSEL_MCP_ENABLE_PUBLIC_PROVIDERS`, which the documented example sets to `myshiptracking,tradlinx,aisfriends`. Commercial and community APIs are bring-your-own-key, enabled with `VESSEL_MCP_ENABLE_BYOK_PROVIDERS` plus per-profile variables, and the project states that secrets are redacted from logs, errors and MCP responses. For a remote deployment, set the transport to `http` for Streamable HTTP at `/mcp` and use `VESSEL_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN` for bearer authentication. MIT licensed, and pre-1.0 — the tool surface may change.
One command — npm install -g @tools-mcp/vessel-traffic-mcp