Cost per vessel and voyage
Fuel, port charges, crew, spares and agency fees captured against the vessel and voyage show real contribution rather than fleet averages.
ERP for Maritime Businesses
Why an ERP is best practice for maritime businesses
A practical look at what an ERP does for a shipping, port or marine services business, where the value sits, and how to choose a platform that costs vessels and voyages properly.
Overview
What an ERP does for a maritime business
Maritime operations spend heavily on assets, fuel, spares and crew, often across several currencies and jurisdictions at once.
An ERP (enterprise resource planning system) brings vessel cost, voyage economics, procurement, dry dock projects and multi-entity reporting into one place so decisions are based on current numbers.
Operational and planned maintenance systems keep running the vessel. The ERP governs cost, purchasing and the financial position.
For most maritime businesses, an ERP is where the following live:
Benefits
Why your maritime business needs an ERP
The value is asset level clarity. Knowing what each vessel earns and what it truly costs to run.
Procurement under control
Requisition to receipt for spares and consumables across ports, with approval limits, stops maverick spend and duplicate ordering.
Dry dock as a project
Budget, commitments, variations and actual spend tracked together give a genuine forecast to completion during a refit.
Fleet comparison that means something
A shared chart of accounts and dimensions make vessels comparable regardless of who manages them.
Faster close across entities
Automated FX revaluation and intercompany posting cut days from the group close.
One financial truth
Owners, managers and operators report from the same data instead of reconciling separate ledgers.
ERP stats
Why your maritime business needs an ERP
Data taken from a survey we commissioned in December 2024. Click here to view
0%
of businesses are utilising an ERP
0 in 0
businesses are dissatisfied with their current ERP
0%
of businesses say using an ERP has contributed to achieving business outcomes
In practice
What this looks like in a maritime business
Six everyday situations where one connected system changes the outcome.
01
A voyage is completed
Revenue, bunkers, port charges and crew cost produce voyage contribution rather than an unallocated cost pool.
Choosing an ERP
What to look for when comparing ERP platforms
Maritime finance is asset heavy and multi-currency by nature. These are the questions worth asking before you shortlist.
Does it cover the whole operation?
Finance, purchasing, stock, projects and reporting should sit in one system. Anything left in a spreadsheet quickly becomes the version everybody argues about at month end.
Does it fit how you actually work?
A system designed for a different sector rarely suits maritime and shipping businesses. The platform should reflect your real processes, approvals and cost structures rather than forcing a rewrite of how you operate.
Can you close and report faster?
Consolidation, reconciliation and management reporting should be routine rather than a fortnight of manual work. Ask to see a month end demonstrated, not described.
Does it stand up to audit?
Role-based permissions, approval workflows and a complete audit trail should be built in, so compliance is a by-product of daily work rather than a separate exercise.
How long until it is live?
Cloud platforms with standard processes go live in weeks rather than years. A long implementation is usually a sign the system is being bent into shape.
Will it grow with you?
New sites, entities, currencies or product lines shouldn't need a replacement system. Check licensing and functionality for where you expect to be in five years.
Our recommendation
Introducing Business Central - the perfect ERP for maritime businesses
Once you know what an ERP should do, the question becomes which platform fits how your teams already work. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central brings finance, purchasing, projects, stock and consolidation into one cloud system connected to the Microsoft tools you already use.
For maritime businesses that means vessel and voyage dimensions on every posting, procurement with approval workflow, project accounting for dry docks, multi-currency handling, and Power BI dashboards covering cost per vessel and per day.
It connects to planned maintenance and operational systems through standard APIs, so technical and financial data stay aligned.
Why Business Central
The features that make Business Central the right fit
It isn't just an accounting package. These are the capabilities teams tell us make the biggest difference day to day.
Finance and reporting in one place
Ledgers, budgets, cash flow and management reporting run from the same data, with Power BI dashboards leadership can open themselves rather than waiting for a pack.
Copilot built in
AI drafts descriptions, reconciles bank entries, chases anomalies and answers questions about your data, taking a chunk of routine admin off the finance team.
Native Microsoft 365 connection
Approvals, quotes and reports work inside Outlook, Teams and Excel, so people use the tools they already know instead of learning another interface.
Automation without developers
Approvals, alerts and handovers can be automated with Power Automate using low-code tools your own team can maintain.
Security and audit trails
Role-based access, approval limits and full traceability protect the financial and operational data maritime operators are accountable for.
Modular and scalable
Start with finance and operations, then add supply chain, projects, service or Dynamics 365 CRM as you grow - without another migration.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
No. Technical management stays where it is. The ERP handles procurement, cost, projects, ledger and reporting.
Yes. Dimensions carry vessel and voyage through every transaction, so cost and contribution are reported without spreadsheets.
Transactions are held in their own currency with automatic revaluation and translation for consolidated reporting.
Yes. Refits are run as projects with budget, commitments, variations and actuals, giving a live forecast to completion.
Yes. Per user per month licensing works for a small shore-based finance team managing several vessels and entities.
Enquiry form
Not sure which ERP is right for your maritime business?
Tell us how vessel cost, procurement and reporting work today and we'll talk through what an ERP would change, which capabilities matter most and where to start. No obligation, just a straight conversation.