Crew Change Management Software

Every crew change has a flight to track, a hotel to book, immigration to clear, transport to coordinate, and a cost that belongs on the port call record. When crew changes happen across multiple vessels at multiple ports, the logistics stack up fast. Base tracks every piece of every crew change and ties the cost to the disbursement account so nothing gets lost between the manning agent’s email and your FDA.

Crew Changes
MV Nordic Carrier – Houston
IN PORT
Sign-on: Chief Engineer
Flight IAH arriving 14:20, hotel booked
Ready
Sign-off: Second Officer
Immigration clearance in progress
Pending
Transport: Terminal pickup
Vehicle dispatched, ETA 06:00
Active

Every Crew Change is a Port Call Task

Sign-on, sign-off, transport, hotel, immigration, medical. Each crew change in Base is a task inside the port call record. Coordinate with the manning agent, book transport and accommodation, clear immigration, and track every cost. The crew change cost posts to the disbursement account as a charge line alongside pilotage, towage, and other port expenses.
Crew Change Record
Flight bookingConfirmed
HotelBooked
ImmigrationIn Progress
TransportDispatched

35,000+

port call jobs managed on Base

85,000+

charge lines tracked across the platform

15

currencies for crew change expenses

$1B+

in port call charges tracked

Before Base
Email: Re: Re: Re: Crew change MV Nordic
Manning agent, vessel, transport, hotel… 47 messages
crew_costs_march_FINAL_v3.xlsx
Last modified: 3 weeks ago. Missing receipts for 4 advances.
FDA delayed: crew change costs missing
Principal waiting for final account since last month

How One Agency Handles Crew Changes Now

A ship agent running husbandry across US Gulf ports manages crew changes for every vessel in their rotation. Before Base, each crew change was an email chain between the agent, the manning company, and the vessel. Costs were tracked in a separate spreadsheet and reconciled at month-end.

Crew change tracking

One record per change, not an email thread

Cost posting

Every expense hits the FDA automatically

Month-end

No separate reconciliation step

Principal visibility

Crew change costs visible in the PDA/FDA breakdown

Crew Change Costs That Show Up in the FDA

Flight costs, hotel charges, transport fees, visa processing, medical exams. Every expense tied to a crew change posts to the port call record. Your principal sees the crew change line items in the FDA alongside other port charges. Vendor invoices for transport and hotels are captured by OCR and matched to the crew change task.
Crew Change Costs
Flights (round trip)$2,400
Hotel (2 nights)$340
Ground transport$280
Total$3,020

Common Concerns

"We use a manning agency that handles crew logistics."

Your manning agency handles crew selection and contracts. You still coordinate the port-side logistics: transport from airport to vessel, hotel bookings, immigration clearance, medical appointments. Those tasks and costs live in Base, tied to the port call.

"Crew changes are a small part of our port call workflow."

Small in scope, large in cost surprises. Crew change expenses are the most common source of FDA variances because they are tracked separately from port charges. In Base, they are part of the same record.

"We handle crew changes at dozens of different locations."

Every port in Base has its own logistics profile. Transport vendors, hotel options, and immigration requirements vary by port. Your team sees the right options for each location when they open a crew change task.

Crew Change Management

See How Crew Changes Tie to Your Port Call Billing

Walk through a crew change from flight booking to vessel boarding. See how every cost posts to the port call record, how vendor invoices match to crew change tasks, and how the FDA includes crew change line items alongside port charges.

“Crew change costs used to disappear into a separate spreadsheet. Now they show up in the FDA before the vessel sails. Our principals stopped questioning crew change charges because they can see exactly what happened.”

– Agency Operations Lead, Ship agency, US Gulf

See how Base solves your biggest challenges

Crew Changes That Show Up in Your Books

Agencies that track crew changes in Base typically eliminate month-end crew cost reconciliation entirely within the first quarter because every expense is already on the port call record.

Crew Change Management Software FAQ

Crew change management software tracks the logistics and costs of crew rotations at port: sign-on and sign-off coordination, transport bookings, hotel arrangements, immigration clearance, medical appointments, and associated expenses. It connects these tasks to the port call record so costs flow into the disbursement account automatically.
Each crew change is a task inside the port call record. Track individual crew members, their sign-on or sign-off status, transport arrangements, hotel bookings, and immigration clearance. Coordinate with manning agents and vessel masters through the same record.
Yes. Crew change expenses post to the port call as charge lines. Your PDA estimate includes anticipated crew change costs. The FDA reflects actual expenses as vendor invoices and receipts are captured. Principals see crew change costs alongside other port charges.
Yes. Flights, hotels, and ground transport may be in different currencies. Base handles conversion and stores both the original currency and converted amount. Crew change costs report in your base currency alongside other port charges.
Base tracks immigration clearance status per crew member per port. Record visa requirements, shore pass issuance, and clearance timestamps. Immigration status is part of the crew change task record alongside transport and accommodation.
Crew changes are one category of husbandry service. In Base, crew change tasks sit alongside provisions delivery, cash to master, medical assistance, and other husbandry tasks inside the port call. All husbandry costs roll up together in the disbursement account.
If you are already running port calls in Base, crew change tracking is available immediately. Add crew change tasks to any port call, record the logistics, and the costs post to the disbursement account. No separate setup required.

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See how Base works for your operation.