Two things decide what goes on a PDA: what the port charges and what you agreed with the principal. Right now those live in printed tariff sheets, client rate cards pinned to a corkboard, and Excel files with 14 tabs. Base replaces all of it. Published port tariffs auto-map into the system. Your contract terms per principal sit on the record. When your agent opens a new port call, both layers combine into one PDA. Port agencies on Base typically cut PDA preparation time by 90%.
port agencies managing rates on Base
currencies supported per rate card
reduction in PDA preparation time
PDAs generated from rate cards
Base maintains a map of published port tariffs: pilotage schedules by vessel class and direction, berth dues, tug rates, linesmen fees, and terminal charges. US ports are mapped today. International ports can be added on request. When you open a new port call at a mapped port, those numbers are already on the PDA. Your agent reviews and adjusts for anything the published schedule does not cover.
The charge line your team gets wrong most often is pilotage, because rates vary by vessel class, draft, and direction. Base maps those variables so the estimate is right before your agent opens the record. Teams that also manage tariff lookups and vessel compliance keep those references alongside the tariff library.
You negotiate different agency fees, markup rules, and handling charges with each principal. In Base, those terms live on the principal record. When you open a new disbursement account for that principal, Base pulls the port tariff for the baseline charges and applies that principal’s contract terms for everything you add on top.
Same port, two principals, two different PDAs. You did not copy anything. You did not look up which fee structure applies. The contract record told Base what to do. When the FDA closes, every line syncs to QuickBooks or Xero through the same rate-to-account mapping.
Port tariffs and contract rates are not standalone data. They connect to every step of the port call financial lifecycle, from the first estimate to the final accounting entry.
Port tariffs and contract rates are not standalone data. They connect to every step of the port call financial lifecycle, from the first estimate to the final accounting entry.
Published port tariffs pre-fill the PDA. Contract rates add the principal’s terms. As actuals land during the call, Base compares them to the combined baseline. The FDA closes with a variance report built from the same rates the PDA started with.
When the FDA is approved, each charge line maps to your chart of accounts and syncs to QuickBooks or Xero. The tariff is the origin, the contract rate is the markup, and both flow through to your books.
Published pilotage schedules, berth dues, tug rates, and terminal charges pre-loaded. US ports mapped today; international ports added on request.
Layer each principal’s negotiated terms on top of the port tariff. Agency fees, markups, and custom charges specific to that relationship.
Bulk, container, tanker, offshore supply. Different vessel types carry different charge structures at the same port. Each gets its own template.
Port tariffs in local currency. Principal invoices in their billing currency. Base converts at the rate you lock when the charge is approved.
Pilotage rates mapped per port, per vessel class, per direction. The charge line your PDA gets wrong most often is already filled in correctly.
When tariffs or contract terms change, the old version stays on record. Past PDAs reference the rates that were active when they were created.
Store charges in the currency the port authority quotes. When the PDA goes to the principal, Base converts at the exchange rate you lock on approval. No month-end surprises from currency drift. If your agency handles port agency operations across multiple countries, each port keeps its own currency while every principal sees a consistent billing currency. Your vendor invoices and payment reconciliation reference the same locked rates.
port agencies on Base
records synced to accounting
in port charges tracked
support for active accounts
No. Each rate card is a template with its own charges, currency, and vessel type. 40 ports with 3 vessel types each is 120 rate cards, all managed from the same library. Most agencies load their busiest 10 ports first and add the rest as calls come in.
Update the rate card when the new fee takes effect. PDAs created before the change keep the old rate. PDAs created after pick up the new one. Both versions stay on record for audit purposes.
Printed tariff sheets go stale the day the authority publishes new rates. Client rate cards pinned to a board only help the person sitting next to them. Excel files fork the moment someone saves a local copy. In Base, the port tariff and the contract terms are one shared record. When rates change, one update replaces every binder, every spreadsheet, every pinned card across every office.
Walk through the full workflow: create a rate card for your busiest port, generate a PDA from it, adjust for a specific call, and see how the numbers flow to the FDA and your accounting system.
“Loading our rate cards was the moment it clicked. We went from 45 minutes on a PDA to under 5. The rates were already there.”
– Finance Lead, Gulf Coast port agency, 12 ports
Not in a printed binder, not on a pinned card, not in a spreadsheet three versions behind. Book a demo and load your first port in under 10 minutes.