The verdict in three sentences
A Miami stevedore whose sales team answers the same carrier questions every week about vessel calls, berth windows and tariffs is spending commercial time that should go into quotes. A B2B website connected to the terminal operating system, with a live vessel schedule, a downloadable tariff and a structured quote request form, can target 50 % fewer routine calls after a 9 week project. In the US market, this type of site typically costs 30,000 to 55,000 USD (2026 order of magnitude), and the expensive part is the schedule data feed, not the design.
What carriers and shippers come looking for
The sales director of a stevedoring company handling containers, breakbulk and project cargo at PortMiami gets three kinds of request: expected berthing time, the applicable rate for a commodity, and available berth or yard capacity. They come by phone, email and text, and each one requires a check in the terminal system.
| Recurring request | Estimated weekly volume | Answer on the website | Expected gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrival and departure times | 60 to 80 | Vessel schedule refreshed hourly | 60 % fewer calls |
| Handling rate by cargo type | 25 to 40 | Dated, versioned tariff PDF | 50 % fewer calls |
| Loading rates for breakbulk | 15 to 20 | Technical sheet per berth | 40 % fewer calls |
| Warehouse or yard availability | 10 to 15 | Request form with area and duration | Qualified leads instead of calls |
| Documents required for release | 20 to 30 | Procedure page with checklist | 50 % fewer calls |
| Special quote (heavy lift, project) | 5 to 10 | Structured quote form | Response time cut to 24 h |
The site becomes a reliable information desk, provided the data it shows matches operations exactly. A hand-typed schedule left stale for two weeks does more harm than no schedule at all.
Website components and US market cost
Pricing depends mostly on the connection to the terminal operating system (work orders, berth planning). The figures below are 2026 orders of magnitude seen in the US market for a full project, across agencies.
| Component | Scope | 2026 order of magnitude | Share of budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editorial core | Company, terminals, equipment, safety, careers | 7,500 to 13,000 USD | 25 % |
| Vessel schedule | Feed from the TOS, filters by vessel and berth | 10,500 to 19,000 USD | 35 % |
| Tariff | Versioned file, tariff history, validity dates | 2,400 to 4,500 USD | 8 % |
| Quote request form | Cargo, tonnage, dates, routing to the right rep | 3,600 to 6,500 USD | 12 % |
| Spanish version | Professional translation and mirrored pages | 3,600 to 6,500 USD | 12 % |
| Security and hosting | WAF, backups, uptime monitoring | 2,400 to 5,500 USD | 8 % |
At Kolonell, the editorial site follows our standard website grid (Premium from 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA, that is 3,050 to 5,340 EUR), and the TOS connection is priced as a custom application, from 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) for a simple integration. Languages are set in the quote. Maintenance then runs at 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA per month (53, 114 or 183 EUR) depending on support level.
A realistic 9 week plan
Weeks 1 and 2 are a workshop with operations: which schedule fields can be published, with what delay, and which stay confidential (shipper name, exact tonnage). Weeks 3 to 5 cover design and the editorial build. Weeks 6 and 7 go to the schedule connector and testing on live data. Week 8 covers translation and QA, week 9 launch and training for the two people who will update the tariff.
The main risk is commercial confidentiality. Showing the ETA of a ro-ro vessel helps carriers, showing the charterer's name can upset a client. Write the rule down before development starts, and check it against any port authority or CBP requirements on published data.
Mini case study
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Daniel, sales director of a stevedore in Miami, counts 160 routine calls and messages a week at 6 minutes each, 16 hours a week across himself and two coordinators. A 50 % reduction frees 8 hours a week, about 380 hours a year. At a loaded cost of 65 USD per hour, that is roughly 24,700 USD a year of sales time recovered. If that time lets the team handle two extra project cargo quotes per quarter at a 15,000 USD margin each, the gain passes 120,000 USD a year. Even with a 45,000 USD site, payback comes in under six months.
FAQ
Can the vessel schedule update automatically?
Yes, if the terminal operating system can export a file or expose an API. A refresh every 60 minutes covers about 90 % of carrier needs.
Do we have to publish every rate?
No. Most stevedores publish the public handling tariff, which answers 70 to 80 % of questions, and route heavy lift and project cargo to the quote form.
How long does the project take?
Plan 9 weeks for a scope with schedule, tariff and a second language. Without a TOS connector, it drops to 5 or 6 weeks.
Is a Spanish version worth it in Miami?
For a stevedore working Latin American and Caribbean routes, usually yes: a large share of quote requests come from Spanish-speaking agents. Languages are set in the quote.
Who updates the tariff?
One or two staff trained in about 2 hours through an admin panel. Each new tariff keeps the history of earlier versions with their validity dates.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your terminals, your operating system and the questions carriers ask most, and we will scope the build and a 9 week plan. 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.
