The port call file: nomination to departure

A port call file is the single record of everything that happens between the moment an agent is nominated for a vessel and the vessel’s departure: notices, documents and costs all attach to it, and the file becomes unchangeable once it closes. This article walks through the stages a call file goes through and why locking it on close matters, as one piece of ship agency software.

Why it needs its own record

A port call is not one transaction the way a trip or a booking is: nomination, the pre-arrival notice, in-port formalities, the pre-departure document process and the close each happen on a different date, addressed to a different party. Trying to squeeze all of that into a single ledger entry or a single invoice makes it nearly impossible to find, months later, which cost belonged to which call. A call file gathers these into one record tied to the vessel’s own identity — name, IMO number, flag.

From nomination to arrival

The file opens the moment the agent is nominated: ship name, IMO number, flag, tonnage and ETA go in. Vessels entering the port authority’s administrative area must give written advance notice; Turkey’s Ports Regulation, Article 9, requires this notice at least twenty-four hours before entering the port area, with a further written notice if the reported ETA slips beyond the stated threshold (Limanlar Yönetmeliği, Art. 9). Every ETA update is logged against the file, so the gap between the first notice and the latest one is visible on its own.

Who touches the file, and when

A call file does not move through one person’s hands: the agent’s team that takes the nomination opens it, the operations team that gathers documents works the checklist, and the accounting team logs the cost lines. Everyone reaching the same file within their own permission — the document team checking off the checklist without seeing the balance, for instance — is what keeps the file moving as one thing rather than several disconnected ones.

On arrival: assembling documents for clearance

Before the vessel berths, the agent gathers the documents the port authority asks for. Port authorities publish their own list for this; a published instruction of this kind lists items such as the vessel’s arrival declaration, a waste declaration form, the crew list, the P&I certificate, and a record of the last ten ports called at. Which of these are collected and which are still missing should be visible on a checklist inside the call file — otherwise clearance is delayed.

On departure: the port clearance process

As the vessel prepares to sail, a similar list is assembled for departure: a departure declaration, the crew list, and the minimum safe manning document are common items. The last costs logged against the file at this stage — port dues, pilotage, tugs — become part of the closing account. If the vessel is subject to anchorage charges, the payment receipt for those charges needs to attach to the file before port clearance is issued; otherwise the port’s own process for issuing the clearance cannot complete.

Closing: why it has to be locked

Once a call closes, the file should lock. The reason is simple: the final account sent to the owner must show the same numbers as the agent’s own record. If a line item changes quietly in a closed file, both the trust between agent and owner and the record’s value in an audit are damaged. A correction, when one is needed, should be added as a new, traceable entry rather than editing the original.

Example

A container ship is nominated to call at Mersin. The agent gives the port authority written notice 24 hours before the vessel enters the port area. Before berthing, the crew list, the P&I certificate and the waste declaration form are gathered; arrival clearance is granted. Three days later, as the vessel prepares to sail, the departure declaration and the minimum safe manning document are prepared and port clearance is issued. The call file closes; five cost lines and three bilingual documents stay attached to it.

How it works in Rotenta

1. A new call file opens in the Ship Call module the moment nomination happens: ship name, IMO number, flag and ETA are recorded.
2. ETA updates are logged on the file’s timeline; the advance notice to the port authority appears with a timestamp on the Official Notifications tab.
3. The documents needed for arrival clearance are checked off on the file’s checklist; anything still missing shows in red.
4. Pre-departure documents are gathered on the second part of the same checklist; the Documents module produces them from the letterhead template.
5. Once the call closes, the file locks; a correction, if needed, is added as a new entry while the original stays untouched.

See how a call’s costs are billed to the owner in disbursement accounts, and how documents come out in two languages in bilingual documents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a call file and a ledger entry?

A ledger entry shows one payment or receipt; a call file gathers a vessel’s entire process — notices, documents and several cost lines — into one record. Ledger entries appear as lines attached to that file; see the accounting module for detail.

What happens if the same ship calls several times in a year?

Each call opens as its own file with its own date; the vessel’s history (by IMO number) lists every call, but each file’s documents and account stay independent.

What if a crew change needs road transport?

That leg counts as non-scheduled passenger transport and must be reported to U-ETDS up to one hour before travel starts; the call file tracks this notice too.

Can a document be added to a closed file later?

A closed file’s cost lines cannot change, but an archival document can still be attached with a timestamp in the file’s note history — it does not affect the account.

Who uses the call file day to day?

The agent’s team that takes the nomination, the operations team that gathers documents, and the accounting team that prepares the account all see the same file, within their own permissions. To talk about setup, get in touch.