A towage job starts before a tug is assigned and continues after the vessel movement is complete. The full workflow connects a service order and its approval with resource planning, dispatch, job updates and billing. Keeping those stages connected helps teams follow what was requested, what was planned and what was delivered.
For a Harbour Master or towage operations team evaluating tugboat software, that whole journey matters. A schedule can show which tug is assigned, but operations and finance also need the context behind the assignment and the records of the work performed.
marineM TugCommand includes add-on modules for Towage Orders and Billing that work with Marine Services Planner. Together, they support the workflow from orders and approvals through planning, shipboard dispatch and invoicing. This guide explains the handovers to consider and the questions to test in a demonstration.
The towage workflow at a glance
Ordering, planning and billing answer different questions. An order describes the service requested. Planning determines how resources can support it. Job records describe execution and provide inputs for billing.
Stage | Main question | Information to carry forward |
|---|---|---|
Order | What towage service is being requested? | Vessel, movement, location, requested time and service requirements |
Review and approval | Is the request ready to progress under the operator's process? | Agreed scope and any information that needs clarification |
Planning | Which suitable tugs can support the movement? | Resource requirements, availability, positioning and proposed assignments |
Dispatch | What work should the tug carry out? | Current assignment and essential job information |
Execution | What is happening, and when was the work performed? | Job status, recorded timings and completion information |
Billing | How does the recorded work translate into charges? | Completed job records and the applicable billing rules |
This is a process map, not a prescribed set of marineM screen labels. Responsibilities, approval rules and commercial arrangements should be defined for the operator's implementation.
1. Capture the order and establish the work to be planned
A useful towage request gives the operations team enough information to understand the movement. Start with the vessel, whether it is arriving, departing or shifting, the relevant locations and the requested movement time. Establish the towage requirements and identify missing information before progressing the request.
The distinction between a request and an assignment is important. A requested time expresses the service need; it does not establish that suitable tugs are available at that time. Approval and resource planning are connected parts of the process, with different decisions to make.
In marineM TugCommand, orders and approvals form part of the wider workflow. When defining the implementation, identify who can submit and approve work, and how subsequent amendments should be handled. The process needs to remain understandable to the people making those decisions.
2. Build a workable tug plan
A tug assignment must fit the job and the surrounding schedule. Available fleet capacity is only part of that assessment: suitability, bollard-pull requirements and the time needed to reach the next job also matter.
Marine Services Planner generates assignment recommendations around the time a vessel needs to reach the jetty or Single Point Mooring (SPM). Planners can accept recommendations or make manual overrides. Configured operational rules and trade-offs shape the choices available, including whether a suitable tug farther away can support the movement.
Planning also needs to account for what follows. A tug supporting a navigation movement may subsequently be needed for an SPM role. An assignment that works for the immediate movement can affect the next operation, so the planner needs to consider the sequence of work.
Where berth and nautical services planning are connected, a change to the berth time or location prompts a review of the supporting resources. A new berth window is useful only if the required services can support it. See the integrated marine services planning example for a wider view of those decisions.
3. Dispatch the job and keep the planning desk informed
Dispatch turns an assignment into work that the tug crew can act on. TugCommand delivers current and upcoming jobs to onboard tablets through the marineM Tug Shipboard App. Tug masters report job status, connecting progress on the water with the planning desk.
That feedback matters when jobs move away from the original schedule. The next assignment should be reviewed against the latest operational situation, rather than relying only on the time originally planned.
During a demonstration, follow one assignment from the planner's view to the tug's view and back. Check what information the crew receives, how progress is reported and how the planner uses those updates when preparing subsequent work.
4. Connect completed work with billing
Planned work and completed work are not interchangeable. Billing needs the relevant operational records and the rules that apply to the service delivered.
TugCommand captures job timestamps and connects completed towage activity with invoicing. Innovez One's published POSH case study describes electronic towage records feeding bill generation using user-defined rules. It is a concrete example of connecting operations with financial administration.
When reviewing the billing scope, distinguish calculating charges, generating an invoice, approving it and sending it. Establish the intended responsibilities for each step, along with the treatment of amendments, cancellations and exceptions. Those details should be confirmed for the operation instead of assumed from the phrase “automated billing”.
A changed arrival: questions at each handover
Consider a fictional vessel whose arrival moves from 14:00 to 16:00 after its towage order has been approved. This is an illustrative review scenario, not a customer result or a set of automatic system actions.
The planner now needs to review the service request alongside the tug schedule. A tug that was suitable for the earlier time may have another commitment at 16:00. Moving the assignment without checking the following work could create a new conflict.
Handover | What the team should review |
|---|---|
Order and approval | Which request details have changed, and what does the operator's amendment process require? |
Resource planning | Are suitable tugs available for 16:00, including positioning time and their next commitments? |
Connected services | Where relevant, can the berth, pilot and supporting services accommodate the revised movement? |
Dispatch and execution | Which assignment should the crew act on, and what progress information needs to return to planning? |
Billing | Does the completed job record reflect the work performed, and which commercial rules apply? |
The value of the exercise is following one change across the entire workflow. A revised time is not just a different block on the schedule: it creates decisions for the teams responsible for the order, the resources, the job and the charges.
What to bring to a tug planning and dispatch demonstration
Use a representative movement from your operation, with any customer or commercially sensitive information removed. Bring the original request, the required tug capabilities and the surrounding schedule. Add a realistic time change so the demonstration tests how teams respond when the plan needs to move.
Ask to follow these questions through the system:
How does a request progress through the agreed approval process?
How do suitability, availability and positioning affect tug recommendations?
How can the planner review or override an assignment?
What does the tug master receive, and how do updates return to planning?
How does completed work feed the billing process, and which decisions remain with the team?
These questions turn a product tour into a review of the handovers that matter to your operation.
Frequently asked questions
Is tug planning and dispatch the same as towage ordering?
They cover different stages. Ordering captures the service request and progresses it through approval. Planning and dispatch coordinate the resources and assignments needed to perform the work. Connecting the stages keeps the request and its execution in context.
How does TugCommand work with Marine Services Planner?
TugCommand includes add-on modules for Towage Orders and Billing that work with Marine Services Planner. The connected workflow covers orders, approvals, planning, dispatch, job records and invoicing.
Can a planner change a recommended tug assignment?
Yes. Marine Services Planner provides assignment recommendations that the planner can accept or manually override. The team can consider operational requirements and current conditions when making the final planning decision.
Why connect towage job records with billing?
Job records connect the service performed with its commercial treatment. Recorded timings and completed activity can feed the billing workflow, reducing the need to reconstruct the job from separate records. The applicable rules and review responsibilities still need to be defined for the operator.
Review your order-to-billing workflow with marineM
Bring one movement and one realistic change to a marineM demonstration. Explore how TugCommand's Towage Orders and Billing modules work with Marine Services Planner, and follow the work from the initial request through planning, execution and billing.