Choosing planned maintenance software is a decision that the ship's officers will live with every day. These ten questions help separate a system that works at sea from one that only looks good in a demonstration.
The ten questions
- Does it work fully offline? Satellite links drop. Every function used on board should keep working with no connection.
- How hard is installation? If a technician must attend every ship, cost and delay multiply across a fleet.
- Can the crew edit it? Each ship is different. Officers should be able to add, rename, move or delete components and jobs without calling the supplier.
- Are spares linked to jobs? Stock should reduce when a job is completed, and shortages should be visible before the job is due.
- Does it cover more than jobs? Look for defects, certificates, permits to work, requisitions, provisions and drydock planning.
- How does the ship talk to the office? Sync should be automatic, resolve conflicts sensibly and avoid mixing up vessels.
- Who can see and change what? Role-based logins and a clear record of who did what are essential.
- What happens to the data? Ask about backups, encryption and how data is moved to a new computer.
- What does it really cost? Compare licence, support, upgrades and any per-vessel charges over several years.
- Is support reachable and experienced? Marine knowledge matters when a question is about intervals, running hours or class items.
How NavTech answers these
NavTech is a one-time purchase, runs from a single file in a normal browser, works offline and syncs with a Shore Server in the fleet office. Prices range from USD 150 to USD 500 depending on requirements, with optional monthly support from USD 20 to USD 50. See the pricing section for details.
Test before you commit
Ask for a demonstration with your own equipment list. Ten minutes of entering a real main engine job tells you more than any brochure. You can request a demonstration from us at any time.
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