What solution to manage a fleet of merchant vessels?
- BoatOn
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Managing a fleet of merchant vessels is a complex challenge: regulatory compliance, multinational crew management, intensive technical maintenance, and growing carbon obligations. Here are the key questions and answers to help you choose the best solution.
What are the specific challenges of managing a merchant fleet?
Merchant fleet operators face multiple constraints: regulatory compliance (MLC, ISM, ISPS), management of multinational crews with varied certifications, intensive technical tracking of heavily-used equipment, operational cost optimization, and growing carbon obligations (CII, EU ETS). Without a centralized tool, these challenges accumulate and expose ship owners to operational, regulatory, and financial risks.
What features are essential for managing a merchant fleet?
A complete solution for a merchant fleet must cover: centralized CMMS for maintenance tracking across each vessel, crew management with scheduling, certifications and rest hours (MLC), an automated electronic logbook, a document vault (ISM, ISPS certificates, insurance), carbon footprint tracking (CII, EU ETS, GHG), automatic reporting of financial and technical performance, and a real-time fleet map.
How does BoatOn Book address the needs of a merchant fleet?
BoatOn Book is a 360° solution that centralizes all essential functions: fleet overview with key performance indicators, complete maintenance planning and tracking, crew management with MLC-compatible timesheets, automated logbook via AIS (terrestrial and satellite), automatic carbon accounting (CO2, CH4, NOx, SOx, PM), and commercial and financial dashboards. A French gem in maritime digitalization, it serves over 15,000 users worldwide.
Is BoatOn Book compliant with MLC and ISM regulations?
Yes. BoatOn Book natively integrates the tools needed to meet MLC obligations: work and rest hour tracking, management of seafarers' certificates and qualifications, and automatic timesheets. For ISM code and security audits, BoatOn also provides expert consulting through BoatOn Consulting, with recognized auditors to build or improve your Safety Management System.
How does BoatOn Book handle the carbon footprint of a merchant fleet?
BoatOn Book automatically generates a complete carbon accounting report based on the GHG Protocol methodology and the ADEME Carbon Base (co-developed with ADEME in 2025). It calculates energy consumption per vessel (fuel, electricity, LNG, e-methanol...) and associated emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O, SOx, NOx). These indicators support CII and EU ETS compliance and identify concrete decarbonization levers.
What KPIs does BoatOn Book provide for a merchant fleet?
The commercial and financial dashboard tracks: revenue per vessel, profitability rate per voyage, operating costs (fuel, maintenance, crew), cost per nautical mile, cargo fill rate, and average revenue per ton transported. The technical dashboard provides: technical availability rate, MTBF (mean time between failures), MTTR (mean time to repair), and maintenance plan adherence.
Can fleet regulatory documents be managed with BoatOn Book?
Yes. The document vault centralizes all key documents: technical manuals, classification certificates, ISM and ISPS certificates, insurance policies, seafarers' qualifications and diplomas, QHSE attestations. Automated alerts warn of upcoming expiries and deadlines to prevent any non-compliance.
Can BoatOn Book be adapted to our specific shipping operations?
Yes. BoatOn has an experienced team to customize the software to your specifications: tailored checklists, additional modules, specific collective agreements, fully custom dashboards. There is no limit to the number of vessels managed simultaneously.
How do I get started with BoatOn Book for my merchant fleet?
Contact the BoatOn team at paul@boaton.fr or book a demo directly at boaton.fr, tailored to the size and specificities of your fleet.
