Shipping has invested heavily in digital tools for voyage planning, fuel optimisation, vessel performance and emissions reporting. These systems have given operators better visibility over how ships sail and how they consume fuel. Yet one major operating cost has often remained outside that digital picture.
Port costs, the second largest expense after fuel for many operators, are still commonly managed through spreadsheets, emails and manual invoice checks. According to Alexandros Trachanas, Chief Customer & Operating Officer, and Michael P. Manis, Head of Business Intelligence & AI at HarborLab, that gap limits visibility into spending and leaves commercial teams working with fragmented information rather than reliable data.
“Port cost management has remained a blind spot largely because it sits across multiple functions at once,” they explain. A single port call involves port authorities, pilots, tug operators, stevedores, customs brokers, bunker suppliers and repair vendors, making it a process that many companies have been reluctant to modernise. While investment has flowed into vessel operations over the past decade, “disbursement accounts have often remained predominantly managed on Excel and email.”
The result is that one of shipping’s largest cost categories still relies on processes that were designed for a very different operating environment.
Commercial data deserves the same visibility
Digitalisation has transformed operational decision making on board. Masters and shore teams now have access to voyage analytics, fuel consumption data and emissions reporting in near real time. HarborLab believes commercial data should receive the same level of attention.
Manual disbursement account management consumes time while limiting visibility into what operators actually spend. Every port call generates invoices with different formats, currencies and payment terms. Processing, checking and reconciling those documents manually leaves less time for analysing costs or identifying opportunities to improve commercial performance.
The company says better visibility often uncovers issues that previously went unnoticed. These include overcharges, inconsistent pricing, limited invoice transparency and tariff variables that affect the final cost of a port call.
“Once DA data is analysed more systematically, those discrepancies become much easier to identify, benchmark, and question,” Trachanas and Manis say.
Recent disruptions have also exposed the limits of manual processes. During the Red Sea crisis, rerouted vessels called at unfamiliar ports, increasing the volume and complexity of disbursement accounts. The disruption underlined the need for stronger visibility, validation and control, particularly for organisations still relying on analogue workflows.
The same principle applies as carbon regulations add another layer to voyage economics. Although the EU ETS is separate from traditional port charges, berth efficiency, turnaround time and port cost transparency now influence the overall cost of a voyage more directly.
Turning port data into operational intelligence
Artificial intelligence is often discussed in the context of navigation, autonomy or predictive maintenance. HarborLab sees another opportunity in commercial operations.
The company says AI can organise fragmented disbursement account and tariff information into a structured format that supports meaningful comparison between similar vessels, terminals and port calls.
Verification also becomes more effective. By comparing invoice line items with tariffs, historical records and comparable calls, AI helps identify anomalies and questionable charges before they are approved.
“Looking ahead, the greatest opportunity lies in extending that intelligence across the full workflow, reducing manual effort further while improving control and transparency,” Trachanas and Manis say. They add that the quality of the underlying data remains the priority if those systems are to deliver reliable results.
For HarborLab, the wider objective is not simply faster invoice processing. Better port data allows owners and operators to build stronger estimates, benchmark suppliers with greater confidence and make better commercial decisions across the entire port call. The company also argues that keeping disbursement account management within the organisation, rather than outsourcing it, gives operators greater control over both their data and their relationships with port agents.
As maritime digitalisation matures, the conversation is expanding beyond the bridge and the engine room. Vessel data has transformed how ships are operated. HarborLab believes port data can do the same for how shipping companies manage one of their largest and least transparent operating costs.
