HarborLab automates Port Expense Creation with a single click

HarborLab has launched a new feature that automates the creation of Disbursement Accounts from Proforma to Final and reduces this time-consuming, manual task to a single click.

With the Single-Click Port Expenses DA Creator, an agent selects the terminal and enters the agency fee. The platform automatically populates all associated port expenses based on the latest port tariffs. The agent then uploads the physical DA as well as any supporting documents, and the final document is complete and ready for approval.

Port agents operate at the intersection of every port call, managing multiple systems, coordinating across time zones, and processing documentation under constant time pressure. DA preparation is among the most complex aspects of that work, and HarborLab has always understood its weight.

Over years of processing hundreds of thousands of port calls, HarborLab has built a comprehensive port cost dataset covering 1,400 ports with live tariff data. The Single-Click Port Expenses DA Creator is the result of that investment and is built first and foremost to reduce the time required for agents and provide a highly accurate first submission to principals.

"Agents are the backbone of every port call, and we have always felt responsible for making their work easier. This feature is the product of years of data collection, and we are proud to put it in their hands. The time they save on data entry is time they can spend on the work that truly requires their expertise," said Antonis Malaxianakis, Founder and CEO of HarborLab.

The creation of Disbursement Accounts has historically been susceptible to errors due to the process's complexity. Port tariff documents are typically published in local languages, exhibit considerable variation in structure and format, and are updated without notice. Translating, standardizing, and maintaining that data at scale demands years of sustained effort. The autofill feature eliminates those errors: powered by HarborLab's port cost estimation engine, it calculates full disbursement costs across all standard port expense categories – port dues, towage, pilotage, mooring, light dues, and more – for bulkers and tankers, using either an IMO number or vessel particulars.

By guiding agents to enter the correct costs from the start, drawn from live, verified tariff data, the Single-Click Port Expenses DA Creator reduces inconsistencies that have made DA approval a slow and often contested process for ship owners and vessel technical managers.

The autofill feature marks the first step in HarborLab's broader vision to bring single-click DA creation to every port worldwide and fully automate the DA lifecycle, making the complexity of port cost management obsolete to those who have been handling it.