# VesselAPI

> Ship tracking and maritime data API providing AIS vessel positions, port events, ports & navigation, EU MRV emissions and marine casualty records, and notifications through a simple RESTful JSON API.

VesselAPI is a maritime intelligence platform that gives developers access to live and recent (up to 31 days) shipping data. It holds a registry of hundreds of thousands of vessels and serves live AIS positions for vessels within terrestrial AIS coverage, which is strongest in coastal waters and around ports.

## API Overview

- Base URL: https://api.vesselapi.com/v1
- Authentication: Bearer token (Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY)
- Format: RESTful JSON API
- Pagination: Cursor-based with pagination.limit and pagination.nextToken

## Documentation

- [Docs Overview](https://vesselapi.com/docs): Main documentation hub with getting started guide
- [Vessel Tracking](https://vesselapi.com/docs/vessels): AIS positions, vessel info by MMSI/IMO, location-based queries, crew-reported ETAs
- [Port Events](https://vesselapi.com/docs/port-events): Vessel arrivals and departures updated every minute, queryable by port, vessel, or time range
- [Ports & Navigation](https://vesselapi.com/docs/ports): Global ports (UN/LOCODE, coordinates) plus navigation infrastructure: lighthouses, radio beacons, DGPS stations, and MODUs
- [Regulatory Records](https://vesselapi.com/docs/emissions): EU MRV-verified CO2 emissions and energy-efficiency metrics, plus marine casualty and incident records by vessel (emissions: source EMSA THETIS-MRV, reused under the EU reuse notice, Commission Decision 2011/833/EU; casualties: source EMSA EMCIP, reproduction authorised provided the source is acknowledged)
- [Notifications](https://vesselapi.com/docs/notifications): Webhook and WebSocket notifications for port events, ETA changes, speed changes, and geofence events; includes advanced polygon geofencing with attribute filters (Pro plan)
- [Developer Tools](https://vesselapi.com/docs/developer-tools): Official SDKs (TypeScript, Python, Go) and MCP server for AI assistant integration
- [API Reference](https://vesselapi.com/api-reference): Interactive OpenAPI/Swagger documentation
- [OpenAPI Spec](https://vesselapi.com/api/swagger.json): Machine-readable API specification
- [Notifications OpenAPI Spec](https://vesselapi.com/api/notifications/swagger.json): Machine-readable specification of the Notifications API

## Key Identifiers

- MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity): 9-digit number for live vessel identification
- IMO Number: 7-digit permanent vessel identifier
- UN/LOCODE: International port identifier (2-letter country + 3-letter location code)

## Pricing

- **Free**: $0/mo, 150 API calls / month, All endpoints
- **Basic**: $14.99/mo, 1,500 API calls / month, All endpoints, Email support
- **Starter**: $59.99/mo, 15,000 API calls / month, All endpoints, Email support
- **Growth**: $159.99/mo, 30,000 API calls / month, All endpoints, Email support
- **Pro**: $249.99/mo, Millions of calls per month, subject to short-window rate limits (https://vesselapi.com/docs#rate-limits), All endpoints, Custom polygon geofence alerts, Priority support

All plans are self-service; there is no custom or enterprise tier.
14-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans. Upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime.
Sign up at https://dashboard.vesselapi.com

## MCP Server (Model Context Protocol)

vesselapi-mcp enables AI assistants (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, and others) to query live maritime data directly. It exposes 19 tools: vessel search, tracking, positions (single and batch), ETA, emissions, casualties, port lookup, inbound vessels, port events, and area-based vessel queries (bounding box and radius).

- Install: npx -y vesselapi-mcp
- npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/vesselapi-mcp
- Configuration: set VESSELAPI_API_KEY environment variable

Example configuration for Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Claude Code:
{"mcpServers":{"vesselapi":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","vesselapi-mcp"],"env":{"VESSELAPI_API_KEY":"your-api-key"}}}}

## SDKs

- **Go**: go get github.com/vessel-api/vesselapi-go/v4 (Go 1.22+), https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/vessel-api/vesselapi-go/v4
- **Python**: pip install vessel-api-python (Python 3.9+, async support), https://pypi.org/project/vessel-api-python/
- **TypeScript/Node.js**: npm install vesselapi (Node 18+, zero dependencies), https://www.npmjs.com/package/vesselapi

All SDKs provide 33 methods covering vessels, ports, port events, emissions, search, and location queries, plus auto-paginating variants of every list method. Features include auto-pagination, typed errors, and retry with exponential backoff. The Notifications API is not covered by the SDKs; use plain HTTP for it (examples at https://vesselapi.com/docs/notifications).

## Landing Pages

- [Ship Tracking API](https://vesselapi.com/ship-tracking-api): Vessel position tracking via AIS
- [Vessel Emissions API](https://vesselapi.com/vessel-emissions-api): CO2 emissions, fuel consumption, energy efficiency (EU MRV)
- [AIS Data API](https://vesselapi.com/ais-data-api): Processed AIS data: positions, identifiers, navigation status
- [Maritime Data API](https://vesselapi.com/maritime-data-api): All maritime data categories in one API
- [Vessel Notifications API](https://vesselapi.com/vessel-notifications-api): Maritime event notifications via webhooks and WebSocket

## Other Pages

- [Pricing](https://vesselapi.com/pricing): Subscription tiers and pricing
- [Contact](https://vesselapi.com/contact): Contact form and support (support@vesselapi.com)
- [System Status](https://vesselapi.com/status): Real-time platform status and uptime
- [Privacy Policy](https://vesselapi.com/privacy-policy)
- [Terms and Conditions](https://vesselapi.com/terms-and-conditions)