The verdict in three sentences
For a ferry and freight operator in Amsterdam, a realistic website timeline in 2026 is 14 to 28 weeks, and the upper end is common as soon as you connect an existing booking engine and real time schedule feeds. The usual culprits are well known: the booking integration (3 to 8 weeks), the schedule and port status feed, and approval rounds with the board. If you want to be live before the summer booking peak, kick off no later than early October of the previous year.
The plan, phase by phase
Durations below are a 2026 market ballpark for a passenger and freight site of 40 to 70 pages in Dutch, English and German, with a booking engine already in production.
| Phase | Short case | Long case | Deliverable | Sign-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery and workshops | 2 weeks | 3 weeks | Sitemap, passenger and freight journeys, integration spec | Commercial director and IT |
| UX and visual design | 2 weeks | 4 weeks | Route page, sailing search, freight quote templates | Board |
| Site build | 3 weeks | 6 weeks | CMS, route pages, freight forms | Digital lead |
| Booking engine integration | 3 weeks | 8 weeks | Sailing search, fares, handoff to checkout | IT and booking vendor |
| Schedule and disruption feed | 2 weeks | 4 weeks | Live departures, weather and delay notices | Operations |
| Content and translations | 2 weeks | 5 weeks | 3 languages reviewed | Customer service, freight desk |
| QA and launch | 2 weeks | 4 weeks | 20 to 30 journeys tested, redirects | Project team |
Several phases overlap: integration starts during the build, translations run alongside technical QA. That is why the total is 14 weeks at best and 28 weeks when a vendor answers slowly, rather than the sum of each column.
What usually causes delays
| Delay cause | Typical slip | How to prevent it |
|---|---|---|
| Incomplete booking engine documentation | 2 to 6 weeks | Get sandbox access during discovery |
| Schedule feed format not agreed | 1 to 3 weeks | Agree on one feed format and owner before design |
| Board approval in 3 rounds instead of 2 | 2 to 4 weeks | One steering committee with fixed dates |
| German copy delivered late | 1 to 2 weeks | Order translations as soon as templates are approved |
| Freight terms and dangerous goods pages | 1 to 2 weeks | Name a freight content owner on day one |
| Accessibility fixes found late | 1 to 2 weeks | Test against WCAG 2.1 AA from the first templates |
Accessibility matters more than it used to: the European Accessibility Act applies to passenger transport services, including websites and booking flows, so check the Dutch implementation and your scope with counsel rather than relying on a checklist. Dangerous goods information for freight should be based on the official maritime rules and validated by your compliance team.
Backward schedule before the summer peak
| Milestone | Target date (24 week project) | Safety margin |
|---|---|---|
| Kick-off | Early October | None |
| Design approved | Mid November | 1 week |
| Booking sandbox live | Early December | 2 weeks |
| Content and translations final | End of January | 2 weeks |
| Full QA | February | 1 week |
| Go live | Mid March | 2 weeks before the booking peak |
As a benchmark, Kolonell's delivery times are public: a Premium site with booking in 21 to 30 working days, at 3,050 to 5,340 EUR (2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA), plus 110 EUR per extra language. That covers the website; connecting to an existing booking engine is scoped and scheduled separately as a custom application.
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Illustrative example: Daan, digital lead of an Amsterdam operator running freight and passenger services to the UK and Scandinavia, must give the board a go live date. He plans 24 weeks from 6 October, landing in mid March. His argument for protecting the schedule: the site takes about 900 passenger bookings a week in March at an average basket of 320 EUR. If a 4 week delay keeps the old mobile flow live and 8 % of visitors drop off, that is 288 bookings, about 92,000 EUR of revenue at risk. The board blocked the approval dates the same day.
FAQ
How long does a ferry company website take in 2026?
Plan 14 to 28 weeks depending on the booking engine and feeds. With a well documented engine and two approval rounds, 16 to 18 weeks is realistic.
When should we start to be ready for summer?
For a mid March launch, start in early October with a 24 week plan. Keep at least 2 weeks of margin before the booking peak.
Why does booking integration take so long?
It depends on the vendor's documentation, sandbox and responsiveness: 3 to 8 weeks is the usual range. Third party technical exchanges are the first source of slippage.
How many journeys should QA cover?
Between 20 and 30: foot passenger, car, cabin, group, freight quote, amendment, on desktop and mobile in three languages. Skipping journeys usually costs 1 to 2 weeks of post launch fixes.
Can we launch in two steps?
Yes: launch the content site with a link to the current booking flow, then the full integration 6 to 8 weeks later. This protects the season date.
Let's scope your project. Share your target date, languages and booking vendor, and we will build a phase by phase plan with an indicative budget and realistic margins. 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.
