Ship Agency & Shipowning (D/A Operations)
Ship Agency & Shipowning: port calls, PDA/FDA disbursement accounts, crew wages and principal reconciliation.
Challenges
- Costs for a port call are never gathered into one file.
- The disbursement billed to the owner does not match what was paid out.
- Nobody knows who is holding a port permit or document step.
- Crew change and supply requests stay off the record.
Workflows
Port call file
- The port call is opened with vessel, port and date.
- Pilotage, towage and berth charges are posted to the file.
- Permit and document steps are tracked with an owner.
Disbursement and reconciliation
- An advance request is sent to the owner and collected.
- Actual costs accumulate in the disbursement account.
- At closing, the account is reconciled with the owner and the difference refunded or collected.
Documents
- Port call file
- Disbursement account
- Port charge invoices
- Crew change record
Reports
- Cost listing by port call
- Disbursement reconciliation
- Agency service revenue
- Pending permits and documents
Metrics
- Agency revenue per port call
- Disbursement closing time
- Cost variance rate
- Number of port calls
Compliance
- Shipping agency licence
- Port and customs notifications
Glossary
- Port call
- Job file holding the vessel and the port
- Disbursement account
- Current account of costs paid on the owner's behalf
- Advance
- Upfront collection taken before costs are incurred
- Reconciliation
- Comparison of what was paid against what was billed on
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I gather port call costs into one file?
Yes — pilotage, towage and berth charges are all posted to the same port call file.
Can I reconcile the disbursement with the owner?
Yes — paid costs and billed amounts are compared at closing, and the difference is refunded or collected.
Can I track advance collections?
Yes — the advance sits on the port call file as a current-account movement.
Can I track permit and document steps?
Yes — every step appears in the file with its owner and status.
Can I record crew changes?
Yes — change and supply requests create records attached to the port call file.