A maritime pilot planning and dispatch system connects vessel movements with the pilots and transfers needed to carry them out. For a Harbour Master evaluating a replacement system, the useful question is whether it can support a workable assignment when vessel times, pilot availability and transport requirements change.
Start with your complete workflow: orders, approvals, planning, transfers, dispatch, job completion and billing. Then ask suppliers to demonstrate that workflow using your operating rules and a realistic schedule change. A feature list alone will not show how the handovers work.
This checklist explains what to test, what evidence to request and how to prepare a pilotage team for implementation.
Map the workflow before comparing systems
Record how a pilotage order reaches the planning team, who approves it, what makes it ready for scheduling and how completed work reaches finance. Identify where information is re-entered, instructions become outdated or staff need a separate spreadsheet to finish the job.
Agree the scope before the demonstration. Some ports need pilot planning and dispatch within a wider Port Management Information System. Others need a focused planning solution with selected order and billing capabilities. The software scope should follow the operation's responsibilities.
Workflow stage | Questions to settle with your team |
|---|---|
Order and approval | Who submits and approves the request? What information is needed before planning can begin? |
Planning and transfers | Which pilot can perform the movement, and how will the pilot reach and leave the job? |
Dispatch and execution | How does the pilot receive the current assignment and report progress? |
Completion and billing | Which completed-job details support the charge, and who checks and releases the invoice? |
These are process stages, not prescribed system statuses. Confirm how your approval, amendment and financial controls will be configured rather than assuming every port uses the same sequence.
Test pilot suitability and availability together
A pilot may be available but not qualified for a particular movement. Prepare an example containing the vessel particulars, the required pilot licence or class, current assignments and applicable rest requirements. Ask the supplier to explain why a proposed pilot is suitable and how the planning process handles an assignment that cannot be fulfilled.
In marineM PilotCommand, planning can account for pilot availability, qualifications and rest requirements through configurable rules. The demonstration should use the rules agreed for your operation. Configuration supports those rules; it does not replace the port's responsibility to define and maintain them.
Also ask how changes to qualifications, rosters or vessel information reach the schedule. A good evaluation covers the data behind a recommendation as well as the recommendation itself.
Include pilot boats and vehicle transfers
Test the whole journey to and from the vessel. A pilot assignment needs a workable transfer, and that transfer can affect when the pilot becomes available for the next movement.
marineM coordinates pilot boats and car transfers alongside pilot assignments. Bring a scenario in which a pilot boat or vehicle already has a commitment. Ask to see how transfer timing affects the proposed assignment and what the planner can change.
For operations coordinating other nautical services, Marine Services Planner brings pilots, tugs, pilot boats, mooring teams and line boats into the resource plan. Include only the services your organisation operates or coordinates, and identify how outside providers confirm availability.
Demonstrate a changed vessel arrival
Use a change during the demonstration, after the initial plan has been explained. This reveals more than a presentation of a completed schedule.
Illustrative scenario: a vessel's requested movement shifts from 14:00 to 16:00. Its planned pilot has another assignment later that afternoon, and the pilot boat has a transfer commitment near the revised time. These times and conflicts are fictional, not a customer result.
Ask the supplier to work through the following sequence:
Update the requested movement time and identify which assignments and transfers need review.
Check pilot class, availability and rest requirements against the revised movement.
Examine transfer availability and the effect on subsequent work.
Show the recommended assignment and how a planner can accept it or make a manual adjustment.
Show how the revised job reaches the pilot and how progress returns to planning.
If the port also operates the berth plan, introduce a berth change. A proposed berth time needs to be considered alongside the nautical services required to move the vessel. Discuss tidal and air-draft constraints where they apply to your operation, and agree which team maintains those inputs.
marineM generates assignment recommendations around the time the vessel needs to be at the jetty or SPM, with planners able to accept recommendations or make manual overrides. Use the demonstration to examine the consequences of an adjustment, rather than treating a recommendation as an instruction that must be followed.
Follow the job through dispatch and billing
Continue beyond the scheduling screen. With marineM PilotCommand, assignments and essential job information reach pilots' handheld devices. Progress updates from the Pilot App return to planning so coordinators can refine upcoming movements.
PilotCommand includes Pilotage Orders and Billing add-on modules that work with Marine Services Planner. This extends the discussion to orders, approvals and the financial handover as part of the complete pilotage workflow.
Ask to see how completed work supports invoice preparation under the agreed tariffs and billing rules. Separately confirm who reviews and releases invoices, how exceptions are handled and what information any finance interface must exchange. Invoice preparation should not be taken to mean that an invoice is automatically approved or sent.
The same care applies when an order changes: confirm which amendments require approval and how the responsible teams are informed. Those decisions should reflect your operation's agreed controls.
Use an evidence-based demonstration checklist
Give each supplier the same scenario and record what was demonstrated, what requires configuration and what remains unresolved. Request a follow-up demonstration where an important requirement is only described verbally.
Requirement | Scenario to demonstrate | Evidence to request |
|---|---|---|
Pilot suitability | A movement requiring a particular pilot class | Agreed rules, relevant pilot data and the assignment explanation |
Rest and availability | A revised movement near an existing commitment | The inputs used and how an unsuitable assignment is handled |
Transfer coordination | A pilot boat or car transfer conflict | The pilot's journey, transport allocation and effect on later jobs |
Planner control | Accept a recommendation, then make an adjustment | The steps taken and the revised assignment plan |
Connected dispatch | Change a job and report progress from the pilot's device | The pilot's updated view and the information returned to planning |
Orders and billing | Follow an approved request through completion | Order-to-job linkage, billing inputs and agreed review responsibilities |
Wider port coordination | Move a berth time or change service availability | The affected information, interface scope and responsible teams |
Keep a requirement open until the evidence is sufficient. The objective is an agreed implementation scope, not the highest number of boxes marked “yes”.
Plan the rollout and measure the result
Involve pilots, dispatchers, transport coordinators, finance and the people who submit service requests. Agree who owns vessel data, pilot qualifications, rosters, operating rules and tariffs. Include external parties where they participate in the workflow.
Training should rehearse the future operation, including changed orders and disrupted transfers. Consider local champions and a phased rollout where several locations are involved. Ask the vendor to explain implementation support, escalation arrangements and the work expected from your own team.
Before implementation, establish a baseline where records allow it. Useful measures include waiting for pilotage, assignment changes, transfer time, completed movements and the time between job completion and invoice preparation. Define the start and end events consistently and account for changes in traffic and operating conditions. Where historical data is missing, begin a baseline rather than claiming savings that cannot be substantiated. The port KPI guide explains how to define measures around operational decisions.
Frequently asked questions
What should a maritime pilot dispatch system cover?
Evaluate pilot suitability, availability, rest requirements, transfer planning, dispatch and progress updates. Where orders, approvals and billing are in scope, test those handovers too. The required scope depends on the port's responsibilities and existing systems.
Does PilotCommand work with Marine Services Planner?
Yes. marineM PilotCommand includes Pilotage Orders and Billing add-on modules that work with Marine Services Planner. This connects the order and financial workflow with planning and dispatch.
Can a planner change a recommended assignment?
marineM allows planners to accept assignment recommendations or make manual overrides. During evaluation, ask to see a revised vessel time, the resulting recommendation and the practical steps for adjusting the assignment.
Does every pilotage project require a full PMIS replacement?
No. marineM has been implemented for Marine Services Planner, Berth Planner, both together and within wider PMIS projects. Define the pilotage scope, interfaces and responsibilities before deciding how much of the wider port system needs to change.
Bring your pilotage workflow to the demonstration
Start with a representative vessel movement, the rules that determine pilot suitability and one change that regularly disrupts the plan. Include the order and billing handovers you need to connect.
Request a marineM demonstration to explore pilot planning and dispatch around your operation's requirements.