The verdict in three sentences
With 900 port calls a year, every day of delay in closing disbursements delays owner reimbursement and weighs directly on your cash. Custom software at USD 70,000 to 120,000 automates the proforma disbursement account, expense tracking and owner invoicing, saving about 3 days of closing per call. Against an international platform at USD 1,500 to 3,000 per month, it pays back within two years while fitting your own tariff and workflow rules.
What Excel costs over 900 calls
The typical circuit: an operator builds the PDA from port dues, pilotage, towage and mooring tariffs, sends it to the owner, collects supplier invoices during the call, then rebuilds the final disbursement account (FDA) several days after the vessel sails.
| Step (900 calls/year) | Current time per call | Estimated 2026 cost or impact |
|---|---|---|
| Proforma (PDA) | 2 to 3 hours | 2,250 hours a year |
| Supplier invoice collection | 4 hours | 3,600 hours a year |
| Final account (FDA) and closing | day 7 to 10 after sailing | cash advance of 8 to 15 days |
| Tariff errors | 5 to 8 % of calls | USD 45,000 of unrecharged disbursements a year |
| Tracking of funds received | manual reconciliation | owner disputes, reminders |
With 4 back-office operators, staff cost exceeds USD 200,000 a year in Singapore, before counting forgotten disbursements.
Custom or international platform
| Criterion | International ship agency platform | Custom build |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | USD 5,000 to 14,000 configuration | USD 70,000 to 120,000 |
| Subscription | USD 1,500 to 3,000 per month, USD 18,000 to 36,000 a year | maintenance USD 1,200 to 2,200 per month |
| Port tariffs | entered and maintained by you | built in and versioned |
| Local tax and billing rules (GST 9 %) | standard | native |
| Owner and principal workflows | generic | tailored to your contracts |
| Data ownership | vendor | agency |
| Timeline | 2 to 3 months | 4 months |
Over three years, the international platform costs USD 59,000 to 122,000. Custom comes to USD 113,000 to 199,000. In Singapore the business case therefore rests on productivity gains and recovered disbursements rather than licence savings, which is why the case study below matters.
Software modules
| Module | Function | Indicative budget |
|---|---|---|
| Tariff database | port dues, pilotage, towage, mooring, per port and vessel type | USD 10,000 to 17,000 |
| Automated PDA | calculation in 10 minutes from tonnage, stay, services | USD 12,000 to 21,000 |
| Call tracking | ETA, ETB, ETD, events, documents (manifest, bills of lading) | USD 12,000 to 21,000 |
| Disbursements and suppliers | purchase orders, invoices, matching | USD 14,000 to 24,000 |
| FDA and owner invoicing | final account, fund balance, reminders | USD 12,000 to 21,000 |
| Owner portal | real-time call status, documents, payments | USD 10,000 to 16,000 |
Mini case study
Wei Ling, managing director of a ship agency in Singapore (900 calls a year), invests USD 95,000 plus USD 1,800 per month of maintenance. After six months: PDA in 15 minutes instead of 2.5 hours, disbursements closed on day 4 instead of day 7, unrecharged disbursements cut from USD 45,000 to USD 11,000 a year. Annual gain: USD 34,000 of recovered disbursements plus 1.5 operator roles reassigned (about USD 75,000). First-year cost: USD 116,600. The project pays back in about 13 months.
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FAQ
Does the software keep up with tariff changes?
Yes, tariffs are versioned with an effective date: an administrator updates them in minutes, without development. Past calls keep their original rates.
Can we manage several ports and countries?
Yes, the architecture is multi-port from day one. Adding Port Klang, Jakarta or Ho Chi Minh City typically costs USD 3,000 to 6,000 per port for the tariff database.
Can owners follow their calls?
The owner portal gives access to statuses, proformas and the final account, halving follow-up emails.
Can it connect to port community systems?
Integration with port and customs platforms is possible depending on available APIs; we assess it during scoping, for an extra USD 4,000 to 10,000.
What if boarding agents lose connectivity?
The boarding agent mobile app works offline and syncs events as soon as the connection returns.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your call volume, ports and current disbursement circuit: we will price software between USD 70,000 and 120,000 delivered in 4 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.