Custom shipping company software development
Appfront builds custom software for the commercial operation of a seagoing fleet: fleet management, voyage and charter management, crew planning with certificate monitoring, bunkering and fuel registration, planned maintenance, and reporting around the ISM Code, Port State Control and CII. Tailored to your fleet, your trading area and your charter agreements. For shipping companies, ship managers and operators who want their vessels demonstrably safe, compliant and profitable.
What is shipping company software?
Shipping company software supports the commercial operation of a seagoing fleet. It brings together fleet management, voyage and charter management, crew planning, bunkering and maintenance in coherent software, so that a shipping company can run its vessels safely, compliantly and profitably. It concerns the operation of the shipowner as operator, not the construction of a ship at the shipyard, and not the port or terminal side of the chain.
That distinction matters. Port management, customs clearance, container tracking and integrations such as Portbase belong to the port and terminal side, which we cover on our maritime software page. For the landside of freight and planning, there is transport software. This page focuses specifically on the shipping company: the vessels themselves, the voyages they make, the people who sail on them and the rules they must comply with.
Off-the-shelf packages often force your way of working into a fixed mould, whereas shipping companies differ greatly in vessel type, trading area and how chartering, technical management and crewing are organised. Custom software adapts to your processes rather than the other way round, and can grow along with your fleet or changing regulations. That avoids spreadsheets running alongside the system and keeps voyage, vessel and crew in one complete, traceable picture. See also our broader approach to custom software development.
One view per vessel and voyage
Voyage planning, charter, crew, fuel and maintenance per vessel in one coherent file. The team ashore and aboard works in one place and keeps oversight, without re-keying data from separate systems or mailboxes.
Certificate deadline monitoring
Vessel and crew certificates, inspections and surveys with expiry dates and timely alerts. This ensures no document lapses unnoticed, and a Port State Control inspector finds an up-to-date picture.
Demonstrably compliant
Maintenance, deviations, audits and consumption are all recorded. That gives the shipping company control and accountability towards the classification society, flag state and charterer, and helps meet the requirements on safety, labour and emissions.
How we build your shipping company software
We work in design and development sprints and involve your chartering staff, superintendents and crewing team early in the process. From a thorough review of your fleet, trading area and working methods through to go-live and ongoing management, every step is aimed at software that your people, both ashore and on board, understand, trust and can use day to day.
We map out your processes: chartering, technical management, crewing, bunkering and the reports you must submit. Together we determine which vessels, integrations and data are needed, and where the greatest gains and the biggest risks lie.
We design the data model around vessel, voyage, crew and maintenance, along with the approach to integrations, authorisation and emissions reporting. Careful design is central, because software that works well both on board and ashore is more useful to everyone.
We build in short iterations with automated testing and monitoring. You see working versions along the way and help steer priorities and how well the software fits the realities of the watch on board.
Controlled go-live with data validation and a safety net, followed by ongoing management, monitoring and further development as your fleet grows or regulations change.
What shipping company software actually does
We tailor every application specifically to your fleet, trading area and charter agreements. Below are the features we most often deliver for shipping companies and ship managers.
Fleet management
A central vessel register with specifications, certificates, inspections and survey data. For each ship you can see the status of documents, maintenance and deployment, so the fleet remains manageable as a whole rather than as separate files per office.
Voyage and charter management
Voyage planning and chartering around the charterparty, with voyage P&L, costs per port, and laytime and demurrage calculation. The same functional territory as a package like Veson IMOS, but tailored to your fleet and integrated with your accounting and technical management.
Crew and certificates
Matching crew by rank and certification under STCW, with monitoring of expiry dates, rotation and travel schedules, and recording of working and rest hours under MLC 2006. This way nobody joins with an expired document and the planning stays workable.
Planned maintenance
A planned maintenance system with tasks based on running hours and calendar, work orders, spare parts and maintenance history per component. Verifiable by the classification society under the ISM Code, and integrated with your wider maintenance software.
Bunkering and fuel
Recording of bunkering based on the bunker delivery note (BDN) and consumption per voyage. This keeps you in control of your largest variable cost and gives you the basis for mandatory emissions reporting without separate calculations afterwards.
Compliance and emissions reporting
Reports aligned with the IMO Data Collection System, the EU MRV Regulation and the annual Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII). Fuel consumption, distance and sailing time come together into an up-to-date picture of your CII rating and the supporting evidence your verifier expects.
Who we build shipping company software for
Shipping operations are run by a range of organisations, each with its own focus on fleet and trading area. For each of them we build software that suits their vessels, their charter agreements and their management practices.
Dry bulk and general cargo shipping companies
Shipping companies carrying bulk or general cargo under time or voyage charters. For them, sharp voyage and charter management with laytime and demurrage weighs most heavily, alongside tight fleet management and maintenance.
Tanker shipping and specialised fleets
Tankers and specialised vessels with demanding requirements for inspections, surveys and certification. Here, demonstrable maintenance, airtight certificate tracking and a clean file for vetting and Port State Control are what count.
Short-sea & coastal shipping
Operators in short-sea and coastal shipping, with many port calls and quick turnarounds. For them, a tight integration between voyage planning, crewing and bunkering is essential to keep sailing schedules on track.
Ship managers & technical management
Ship managers who run the technical and sometimes commercial management of vessels owned by several parties. They need strict separation per client, airtight logging and clear reporting, so that each owner keeps oversight of their own ships.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
We build with a modern, maintainable web stack and integrate with the systems you already use where needed. Think of an integration with your accounting and ERP, with noon report and consumption data from the vessels, with AIS and position data, and with the verifier for your emissions reporting. For the port and terminal side, see our maritime software, and for crew rosters, see our workforce planning software.
For shipping companies in passenger transport who need to plan crew per sailing, there is our crew planning software for passenger shipping.
For shipping companies and tour operators running river cruises and cabin allocations, there is our booking planning software for river cruises.
Why choose Appfront for your shipping company software?
Appfront builds custom software with smart technology and thoughtful design, and always starts with a thorough analysis of your fleet, trading area and way of working. Shipping software must not only be technically sound, but also fit the way your chartering teams, superintendents and crew actually work, both ashore and on board.
We write clear documentation and deliver transparent code, so that your own team or a future supplier can understand and manage the software. No black box, but clear agreements on integrations, access control, logging and management. That way you are not dependent on choices you cannot follow.
We work in design and development sprints and keep the lines short. You see working software along the way and help set priorities, so the build reflects practice rather than a thick document that is outdated by the time it is delivered.
See also our wider services: building custom software, maritime software for the port and terminal side, and transport software for the landside. Do you have questions? Get in touch with us.
- Custom software with smart technology and thoughtful design
- Clear delineation between shipping company, port and transport operations
- Experienced in voyage and charter management, including laytime and demurrage
- Certificate and maintenance tracking focused on ISM and Port State Control
- Emissions reporting for IMO DCS, EU MRV and the CII rating
- Role-based authorisation and comprehensive audit logging
- Clear documentation and transparent code
- Working in design and development sprints
- Ongoing management and further development as your fleet or the law changes
- A way of working aligned with your existing IT landscape
Security and reliability
Shipping company software handles business-critical and often commercially sensitive data: charter agreements, rates, crew records and the technical condition of the fleet. That is why we build security in from the architecture up. We set up authorisation based on role and need, so that a charterer, a superintendent and a crewing officer each see only what their task requires. Every view and change is logged, so you can trace who changed what.
We work with encryption in transit and at rest, separation of data between clients, and managed integrations with external systems. We process crew members' personal data in line with the GDPR, with data minimisation as the starting point. For environments where it applies, we align with your own information security policy and agreements with verifiers and classification societies.
Read more about our security approach: information security policy and vulnerability disclosure policy. Discuss your situation without obligation via our contact form.
- GDPR-compliant processing of crew data
- Data minimisation as a starting point
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Role-based access and least-privilege principles
- Separation of data between clients
- Complete audit logging of access and changes
- Managed integrations with accounting, ERP and verifiers
- Monitoring, backups and recovery procedures
Frequently asked questions about shipping company software
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about custom software for shipping companies.
Shipping company software supports the commercial operation of a seagoing fleet: fleet management, voyage and charter management, crew planning with certificate monitoring, bunkering and fuel recording, planned maintenance, and reporting on the ISM Code, Port State Control and emissions. It concerns the operation of the shipowner as the operator of vessels, not the construction of a ship at the yard, nor the port or terminal side. Custom software lets you set this up the way your own fleet, trading area and charter arrangements require, rather than forcing your way of working into a standard package.
Shipping company software revolves around running the vessels themselves: voyage planning, chartering, crewing, fuel and fleet maintenance. Software for ports, terminals and logistics chains revolves around port management, customs clearance, container tracking and integrations such as Portbase. We cover that port and terminal side on our maritime software page; this page is specifically about the shipping company as an operator. If your question spans both sides, we will look at where the main focus lies in the first conversation.
We build custom solutions. Shipping companies differ greatly in fleet composition, trading area, vessel type, and how chartering, technical management and crewing are organised. Custom software fits your actual processes and can grow with you as your fleet or the regulations change. After an introductory conversation, we decide together which functionality matters most and the order in which we build it, without promising a fixed timeline or price that we cannot yet substantiate.
The ISM Code requires shipping companies to maintain the ship and its equipment systematically, documented in a planned maintenance system. Classification societies such as Lloyd's Register, DNV, Bureau Veritas and ABS review that maintenance record during surveys. Software tracks maintenance tasks, inspections, certificates and deficiencies with deadline monitoring, so that a Port State Control inspector under the Paris MoU finds a complete and up-to-date picture and the risk of detention falls.
Yes. Every crew member needs valid certificates of competency under the STCW Convention, and the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) sets requirements for employment agreements and for hours of work and rest. Software matches crew to rank and certification, monitors expiry dates with timely alerts, and records work and rest hours. This helps you prevent someone with an expired certificate from signing on, which can be grounds for detention during an inspection.
Yes. We build functionality for voyage planning and chartering around the charter party: voyage P&L, costs per port, laytime and demurrage calculation, and claims tracking. That is the same field as specialised packages such as Veson IMOS, but tailored to your fleet and agreements, and connected to your own accounting, technical management and reporting rather than standing as an isolated island.
Fuel is a major cost and, at the same time, the basis for emissions reporting. Software records bunkering on the basis of the bunker delivery note (BDN) and consumption per voyage. That consumption data feeds the mandatory reports: the IMO Data Collection System, the EU MRV Regulation and the annual Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), which gives ships of 5,000 GT and above a rating from A to E under MARPOL Annex VI. This keeps your consumption, costs and CII rating in one coherent picture.
Yes. We regularly take over existing applications or integrate with systems you already use, including those built by another party. We carry out a review of the architecture, integrations, data model and security, document the set-up and propose improvements. From that point on, we can handle integrations, changes and monitoring, or modernise step by step towards a maintainable situation.
Ready to build your shipping company software?
Tell us how your fleet and operation are set up and where you run into trouble, from chartering and crewing to bunkering, maintenance and compliance. We are happy to think along with you on process, integrations and reporting. In a no-obligation first conversation, you will get a clear picture of the possibilities for custom software that fits your shipping company.