Shipping Agency Management Software

You run port calls across multiple ports, for multiple principals, with a team that handles everything from NOR tendering to FDA closeout. Nominations come in by email. Charge tracking lives in spreadsheets. Invoices sit in folders. Base replaces all of it with one platform where every port call, every charge, and every document lives in the same record.

Agency Dashboard
Active Port Calls
LIVE
MV Atlantic Pioneer
Husbandry – Houston – ETA 06:00
PDA Sent
MV Gulf Endurance
Protective – Galveston – Alongside
In Port
MV Nordic Carrier
Full Agency – Mobile – FDA Pending
Closing

Every Port Call, From Nomination to FDA

A principal nominates a vessel. You open a job in Base, build the PDA from stored port tariffs and contracted rates, tender the NOR, coordinate services, track charges as they come in, and close the FDA when the vessel sails. Every step is one record. Every charge is one line.
Port Call Workflow
1. Nomination receivedDone
2. PDA issuedSent
3. NOR tenderedDone
4. Charges trackedActive
5. FDA closedPending

35,000+

port call jobs managed on Base

$1B+

in port charges tracked

62,595

documents generated

99.95%

PDF invoice capture rate

How Your Agency Handles Billing

Build PDAs from stored tariffs and rate cards. Track actual charges against the proforma as services are delivered. When the vessel sails, close the FDA and sync to QuickBooks or Xero. Your vendor invoices are captured by OCR, matched to charge lines, and approved before they post.
Billing Summary
PDA Estimate$48,200
Actual (to date)$44,850
Variance-$3,350 (under)

Your First Quarter on Base

What changes when your agency moves from spreadsheets and email to one platform.

Week 1

Port Tariffs Loaded

Month 1

PDAs and FDAs Live

Month 2

Vendor Invoices Flowing

Quarter 1

Full Agency Operations

Compliance and Documentation Built In

Screen every vendor and counterparty against sanctions watchlists. Track vessel compliance status before accepting a nomination. Generate SOFs, PDAs, FDAs, and statements from the port call record with one click. Every document references the same data your ops team entered.
Compliance Status
Sanctions ScreeningClear
Vessel InspectionCurrent
Vendor ComplianceAll Qualified

Common Concerns

"We already have a system for port calls."

If your current system connects port call ops to billing, vendor management, compliance, and accounting in one record, keep using it. If your team still copies data between spreadsheets and email to close an FDA, Base replaces all of those handoffs.

"Our agency covers too many ports for one platform."

Base handles agencies operating across dozens of ports simultaneously. Each port has its own tariff schedule, vendor roster, and berth data. Your team sees the full picture or filters by port, principal, or vessel.

"Switching software will disrupt our operations."

Run your first port calls in Base alongside your existing process. Most agencies go live within two weeks and phase out the old system over the first quarter. No forced migration required.

Shipping Agency Software

Run a Real Port Call in Base

Bring a recent port call. We will build the PDA from your tariffs, track charges, coordinate vendors, and close the FDA together. You will see how your agency workflow maps to Base before you commit.

“We ran our first real port call in Base on day three. By the end of the month, our team refused to go back to the spreadsheets.”

– Agency Director, Multi-port shipping agency

See how Base solves your biggest challenges

Your Entire Agency on One Platform

Shipping agencies that switch to Base typically close their books five days faster within the first quarter because ops and billing share the same port call record.

Shipping Agency Management Software FAQ

Shipping agency management software is a platform that handles every workflow a port agent or ship agent runs: port call management, PDA/FDA billing, vendor coordination, husbandry services, compliance screening, document generation, and accounting sync. It replaces the combination of spreadsheets, email, and disconnected tools most agencies use today.
Each port in Base has its own tariff schedule, berth profiles, and vendor roster. Your team opens port calls at any port in your network. Reporting rolls up across all ports, or filters down to one port, one principal, or one vessel.
Yes. Protective agency calls (husbandry only, no cargo) and full agency calls (cargo operations, stevedoring, customs) use the same port call structure. The difference is which services and charge codes you activate per job.
Build a PDA from stored port tariffs and contracted principal rates before the vessel arrives. Track actual charges as services are delivered. Close the FDA when the vessel sails. Sync invoices and payments to QuickBooks or Xero automatically.
Yes. Base syncs invoices, payments, contacts, and chart of accounts with QuickBooks Online and Xero. Your agency workflow runs in Base. Your books stay in your accounting system.
Screen every vendor and counterparty against global sanctions watchlists. Track vessel compliance status and inspection history. Run vendor qualification checks before awarding work. All compliance data is exportable and audit-ready.
Most agencies load their port tariffs and rate cards in the first week, run their first live port call by day three, and have their full team operating in Base within the first month. No migration required. Run in parallel until your team is ready.

Ready to get started?

See how Base works for your operation.