Custom sailing time and service log registration development
Almost every inland waterway vessel operating commercially must keep a sailing time logbook, recording the mode of operation, the crew, the voyage made and the rest periods. The master is responsible for it, and the ILT (the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate) uses the book to check whether the crew is complying with the rules. Each crew member also has a service record book, in which sailing time is stamped. Appfront builds the software that lets a shipping company or inland shipping operator keep that data per vessel and per crew member at the office, alongside the book on board.
What is software for recording sailing times and service record books in inland shipping?
Software for logbook and service record registration turns the data from the logbook (vaartijdenboek) into an office overview per vessel and per crew member. According to the ILT (the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate), the logbook must state, among other things, the operating mode the vessel is sailing in, which crew is on board, which voyage has been made and when the crew has rested. If the book is not filled in, or is filled in incorrectly, the master is in breach. The type of vessel, its length and its operating mode determine how many crew members with which qualifications must be on board.
The logbook itself is a paper book with a unique number, linked to the vessel number, which the owner or operator requests from the SAB. This often means the office cannot see how things are going on board. With changing crews, nobody knows exactly who has accumulated how much sailing time, and anyone who wants a higher position must, according to the SAB, have their sailing days stamped within fifteen months, using the service record book and a copy of the logbook. Pages are then photographed and sorted out. According to the ILT, the logbook can also be used for working time registration, which is mandatory for all crew members.
We build custom software because every company operates differently. A private skipper with one vessel and a permanent crew gets by with the book; a shipping company with a fleet and a pool of deckhands and mates does not. Which vessels you have, which operating modes they sail in, on which waterways, whether there is a tachograph on board and how your crew rotates determines what the software does. The software does not replace the mandatory book on board; it makes sure its data is usable at the office.
Per vessel
Operating mode and crew.
Per crew member
Sailing time totalled.
Verifiable
Rest and crewing.
How we build software for registering sailing time and service records in inland shipping
We start with your fleet and your crew: which vessels, which operating modes and waterways, how the crew rotates, how the logbook is currently kept and how the stamping of service record books works. Then we build a first version that records voyages, crew and rest periods per vessel and totals sailing time per crew member, because that is where the overview begins. Your office and a few skippers use it for a while. The checks on crewing and rest, the working time registration and the integration with planning or payroll follow once that runs well. After that, we maintain the software as the rules or your fleet change.
Vessels, crew, books.
The first version.
Rest, crewing, stamping.
Go-live, monitoring, and maintenance when things change.
What software for registering sailing time and service records in inland shipping actually does
The components below appear in almost every system for registering sailing time and service records. Which ones you need depends on your fleet and on how your crew rotates.
Voyages
Recorded per vessel.
Crew
Who, which role, when.
Rest periods
Visible per crew member.
Occupancy
Against the operating mode.
Sailing time
Ready for stamping.
Books
Numbers per vessel.
Who we build software for registering sailing time and service records in inland shipping for
The software is intended for companies with several vessels or a lot of rotating crew, where the overview currently exists only on board. The more vessels and crew members, the more it delivers.
Shipping companies
A fleet at a glance.
Crewing agencies
Sailing time of the pool.
Tanker shipping
Crewing and rest.
Passenger shipping
Rotating crew.
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This page is about sailing times, rest periods and sailing time for the service record book. For voyages, waiting hours and demurrage feeding into invoicing, see our page on voyage report software for inland shipping, and for the validity of certificates and documents, our page on certificate monitoring for inland vessels. For rosters in passenger shipping, see our page on crew planning, and for the whole of your operations, our page on shipping company software. You can read about our approach on building software.
Why choose Appfront for your software for recording sailing times and service record books in inland shipping?
A logbook that does not add up during an inspection, a vessel sailing under-crewed without the office knowing, or a deckhand who misses his next role because his sailing time was not stamped in time: each costs an inland shipping company a fine, a delay or a good crew member. That is what we build on: data from on board visible at the office, rest and crewing checked, and everyone's sailing time ready when it is needed.
Overview
All vessels at the office.
In order
Rest and crewing.
For the crew
Sailing time tracked.
Security and privacy in software for recording sailing times and service record books in inland shipping
The software processes data about crew members, such as names, roles, working and rest times and sailing time. Access is set up per role: a skipper sees his own vessel, the office sees the fleet, a crew member sees his own sailing time. Every entry and change is recorded with a name and timestamp, so you can later show where a piece of data came from.
The software runs in a European data centre, with encrypted connections and storage and daily backups. The mandatory logbook stays on board and is kept up to date by the master; the software stores its data, so it remains available when the book is full and a new one is in use.
Frequently asked questions about software for recording sailing times and service record books in inland shipping
Questions that inland shipping company owners, shipping lines and crewing agencies ask before getting started.
It records the operating mode, crew, voyages and sailing and rest times per vessel, checks crewing and rest against the rules you set, and adds up the sailing time per crew member for the service record book. This gives the office a view of what happens on board.
According to the ILT (the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate), almost every inland vessel that sails commercially on inland waters. The master is responsible for it. On ferries, ferry pontoons and open sightseeing boats, a ship's journal with the crew and service times applies instead.
No. The logbook is an official book with a unique number that stays on board and is completed by the master. The software records its data, so the office can use it for oversight, checks and getting sailing time stamped.
Among other things, the vessel's operating mode, the crew on board with their roles, the voyage made and when the crew rested. The ILT uses this to check whether the crew complies with the rules on crewing and rest times.
Each crew member has a service record book in which sailing time is stamped. According to the SAB (the Dutch inland shipping qualifications body), this must be done within fifteen months for a next role, with the service record book and a copy of the logbook. The software keeps track of each crew member's sailing time and the corresponding pages.
Yes, according to the rules you set for your vessels and operating modes. According to the ILT, the logbook can also serve as the working time record that is mandatory for all crew members. Which rules apply to your vessel is something to confirm with your adviser or the ILT.
For shipping companies and businesses with several vessels, rotating crews or a pool of people who sail on different ships. If you have a single vessel with a permanent crew, the logbook itself is often enough.
Want to see your fleet's sailing times from the office?
Tell us how many vessels you have, how your crew rotates and how sailing times and service records are currently kept. We'll show you how the software can handle it.