# gfw.vessel.search

Search the Global Fishing Watch database for fishing and commercial vessels by name, MMSI (9-digit AIS identifier), IMO number, or call sign. Returns vessel identities with flag state, gear types (trawlers, longliners, purse seiners, etc.), ship types, and AIS transmission date ranges. GFW tracks 60,000+ active fishing vessels using satellite AIS data covering 2012–present. Optionally filter results by flag state using ISO 3-letter country code. Use gfw.vessel.details for full registry information.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `gfw.vessel.search`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/gfw.vessel.search

## Facts

- Tool: `gfw.vessel.search`
- Server: Apibase (`apibase-mcp-client`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase.md
- Install: `npx -y apibase-mcp-client`
- Homepage: https://github.com/whiteknightonhorse/APIbase
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 3 (1 required)
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `flag` | string | no | ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code to filter by flag state (e.g. "CHN" for China, "USA" for United States, "PAN" for Panama). |
| `limit` | integer | no | Maximum number of vessels to return (1–50, default 10). |
| `query` | string | yes | Vessel name, MMSI (9-digit AIS identifier), IMO number, or call sign to search for (e.g. "Atlantic Star", "123456789", "IMO9234567"). Partial names are supporte |

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "gfw.vessel.search",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "<query>"
    }
  }
}
```

## Why gfw.vessel.search is rated Low

Queries public fishing vessel registry without creating, modifying, or deleting data; no side effects.

From the tool's own definition: "Search database for vessels by name, MMSI, IMO, call sign. Returns identities, flag state, gear types."

## Use case

AI agents call gfw.vessel.search to retrieve information from Apibase without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Allowed**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Apibase:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "gfw.vessel.search": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Apibase (1383)

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- `infra.cloudflare.purge_cache` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/infra.cloudflare.purge-cache.md
- `polymarket.trading.cancel_order` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/polymarket.trading.cancel-order.md
- `ai.image.generate` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/ai.image.generate.md
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- `dev.code.execute` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/dev.code.execute.md
- `device.registry.command` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/device.registry.command.md
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- `document.convert.to_pdf` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/document.convert.to-pdf.md
- `document.convert.web_to_pdf` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/document.convert.web-to-pdf.md
- `hf_inference.nlp.translate` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/hf-inference.nlp.translate.md
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- `phone.telnyx.sms_premium` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/phone.telnyx.sms-premium.md
- `polymarket.trading.place_order` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/polymarket.trading.place-order.md
- `abr.business.abn_lookup` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/abr.business.abn-lookup.md
- `abr.business.acn_lookup` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/abr.business.acn-lookup.md
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- `abs.economy.gdp` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/abs.economy.gdp.md
- `abs.economy.labour_force` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/abs.economy.labour-force.md
- `abs.economy.trade` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/abs.economy.trade.md
- …and 1353 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase