Choosing ship maintenance software: a 25-point evaluation checklist

Selecting maritime software is a decade-long decision. Use this checklist — grouped into seven areas — to compare vendors on what matters in operation rather than in a demo.

Onboard operation

1. Does every workflow work fully offline?
2. Is the onboard interface fast on modest hardware?
3. Can crews attach photos and files directly from the work order?
4. Can postponements be requested offline?

Synchronisation

1. Are records marked synced only after server acknowledgement?
2. Is sync incremental and bandwidth-aware?
3. Are attachments synchronised separately from metadata?
4. Can sync be triggered manually and monitored on shore?

Maintenance workflows

1. Calendar and running-hour schedules?
2. Reusable standard-job library with instructions, materials and questionnaires?
3. Shore approval workflow for postponements?
4. Critical spares and certificates per equipment?

Data quality

1. Bulk import from spreadsheets?
2. Automatic detection of duplicate or orphaned jobs?
3. Safe equipment replacement without losing job links?

Shore visibility

1. Fleet-wide search by maker, model and serial number?
2. Dashboards with drill-down to the source record?
3. Role-based access scoped by company and vessel?

AI and knowledge

1. Can AI answer from your own manuals with source references?
2. Does it handle scanned PDFs?
3. Can you choose or self-host the model?

Delivery and partnership

1. Is there a pilot-vessel phase before fleet rollout?
2. How are vessel software updates released and tracked?
3. Who customises the platform when your process changes?
4. Where is the team, and what time zone do they support?