Vessel Scheduling System.

Plan smarter. Publish faster. All cargo types.

The only liner scheduling platform that builds a publishable proforma in 30 seconds — and lets you what-if the whole network before you commit.

Proforma schedule created in 30 seconds

Accelerate service planning

Faster schedule creation & publication

Improve schedule reliability

Deliver more consistent schedules

Reduce planning cost

Minimise manual effort & rework

Increase network visibility

Monitor schedules across your network

Key capabilities

Everything you need for intelligent vessel scheduling.

Six capabilities, one platform — from a 30-second proforma to fully automated publishing.

Speed

Proforma schedules in 30 seconds

Build complete port rotations from configurable templates and predefined service patterns — eliminating hours of manual schedule work.

Differentiator

What-if scenario simulation

Adjust rotations, port calls, and timings against a copy of the live schedule. Compare cost, fuel, and revenue before a single change goes live.

Cost control

Voyage & slot cost simulation

Estimate port costs, charter expense, and fuel consumption per voyage — pick the most profitable routing before schedules are finalised.

Foresight

Schedule forecasting & variance

Predict future schedules with precision and track planned-versus-actual deviations — actionable insight on reliability and voyage performance.

Always-on

Real-time alert engine

Automated alerts for port omissions, vessel delays, and rotation changes — the right information reaches the right hands, instantly.

Automation

Auto schedule publishing

Real-time schedule synchronisation with trigger-based email notifications — every stakeholder works from the same live schedule.

Also included:Variance reportsPort holiday integrationCoastal & long-term schedulingContainer · breakbulk · RoRo

Feature spotlight · No competitor has this

What-if scenario simulation.

Test schedule alternatives before implementation. VSS evaluates the impact of changes across port calls, transit assumptions, service frequency, vessel deployment, and voyage timelines — without ever touching the live schedule.

  • Compare multiple scenarios side by side before finalising schedules.
  • See cascade impact across routes, ports, and voyages instantly.
  • Quantify every option — cost, fuel, and revenue per alternative.
  • Commit with confidence — publish the winning scenario in one step.

Proven in operation

How liner operators run VSS.

Twenty years in production. Four ways planning teams use it every day.

Service planning

Long-term service planning

Fleet planners design stable forward schedules from proforma services and structured port rotations — aligning vessel deployment and capacity weeks or months ahead.

Coastal ops

Coastal schedule management

Operations teams manage live coastal schedules with real-time vessel visibility — reacting to port conditions and ETA changes with speed and precision.

Cost control

Voyage cost planning

Planning teams evaluate charter, port, and bunker fuel costs before finalising schedules — using cost simulation to select the most profitable routing.

Disruption response

Disruption response

Operations teams respond instantly to delays, omissions, and rotation changes — simulating revised schedules, assessing cascade impact, publishing updates in real time.

Companion product · upstream of VSS

SSS — Ship Scheduling Services.

VSS manages your own fleet's schedules — SSS ingests everyone else's, validated and pushed into VSS via API.

One Platform. All Schedules. Total Control.

What SSS does in five layers

  • 01Input·Email · API · Web · Excel · PDF
  • 02Processing·Auto-extract & standardise
  • 03Quality·Validation, conflict detection
  • 04Storage·Single source of truth · versioned
  • 05Output·Dashboard + API push

See VSS on your feeder operations

Book a 30-minute walkthrough.

We'll show VSS configured against your routes, vessels, or workflows — no generic deck. VSS is part of the SVM Feeder platform.

Frequently asked questions

Vessel Scheduling System, answered.

What is a vessel scheduling system?

A vessel scheduling system is a software platform that helps liner shipping operators plan, create, manage, simulate, and publish vessel schedules. It connects port rotations, transit times, service windows, and operational data into a single planning environment, enabling teams to work with speed, accuracy, and visibility across both long-term and live schedules.

Can Solverminds VSS support both long-term and coastal schedules?

Yes. Solverminds VSS (Vessel Scheduling System) is designed to support both long-term proforma service planning and live coastal schedule management within the same platform. Planners can work across different time horizons and schedule types, with full visibility and control at every stage of the voyage lifecycle.

Does the system support what-if schedule simulation?

Absolutely. The schedule simulation module allows planning teams to test multiple what-if scenarios — such as delays at specific ports, vessel omissions, or route modifications — without affecting the live published schedule. Teams can evaluate downstream impacts and select the best option before committing to any change.

Can users estimate voyage and slot costs?

Yes. The voyage and slot cost simulation feature enables planners to estimate charter costs, port dues, bunker fuel, surcharges, and per-slot costs for each service scenario. This helps operations teams make more profitable routing and deployment decisions with full cost transparency before finalising schedules.

How does the system help manage disruptions?

The real-time alert engine monitors active schedules continuously and triggers instant notifications for delays, ETA variances, port omissions, and schedule deviations. Planners can immediately simulate recovery options, assess impact on downstream ports, and publish revised schedules to all stakeholders — minimising the operational disruption window.

Does the system provide reporting and operational visibility?

Yes. Solverminds VSS includes operational visibility dashboards and reporting capabilities that give planning and operations teams a clear view of schedule performance, variance tracking, and historical data. Reports can be used to identify patterns, improve future schedule accuracy, and provide stakeholders with reliable schedule intelligence.

Can VSS integrate with our existing ERP or port management systems?

Yes. Solverminds VSS is designed with open integration in mind and supports connectivity with ERP platforms, port community systems, and third-party maritime data providers through standard APIs. This allows schedule data, vessel positions, and cost information to flow seamlessly across your existing technology stack without requiring manual data re-entry or reconciliation.

How long does deployment and onboarding typically take?

Deployment timelines vary based on the size of your operations and the level of integration required, but most customers are operational within a few weeks. Solverminds provides a structured onboarding programme that includes system configuration, data migration support, and hands-on training for planning and operations teams — ensuring your team is confident and productive from day one.

Is the system suitable for managing multiple trade lanes simultaneously?

Absolutely. VSS is built to handle multi-service, multi-trade environments with ease. Planning teams can manage multiple port rotations and vessel deployments across different trade lanes from a single platform, with each service tracked independently. Cross-service visibility allows planners to identify shared resource conflicts and coordinate vessel deployments more effectively across the entire network.

How does VSS handle vessel omissions and port substitutions?

VSS provides dedicated tools for managing port omissions and substitutions in real time. When a port call needs to be skipped or replaced, planners can apply the change within the system and immediately see the cascading impact on downstream ETAs, transit times, and slot commitments. The system then automatically recalculates the affected rotation and pushes the updated schedule to all relevant stakeholders without manual intervention.

What is AIS (Automatic Identification System) and how does VSS use it?

AIS, or Automatic Identification System, is a vessel tracking technology that broadcasts a ship's position, speed, heading, and identity in real time using onboard transponders. VSS ingests this live AIS data to power ETA and ETD visibility, giving planners an accurate, up-to-the-minute view of vessel movements across the network. This allows the system to flag schedule deviations early and help teams respond before delays affect downstream port calls.

Why it matters

Why Solverminds Vessel Scheduling System.

Solverminds Vessel Scheduling System (VSS) is a purpose-built vessel scheduling platform for liner shipping operations. It integrates proforma service creation, what-if schedule simulation, voyage cost optimization, and real-time alerts into one unified maritime planning solution.

Shipping operations teams across global trade lanes rely on VSS to reduce manual effort, enhance schedule accuracy, and respond quickly to disruptions — while maintaining complete cost visibility throughout every stage of the voyage lifecycle.

As an enterprise-grade module within the SVM Liner Resource Planning suite, VSS connects directly to booking, capacity, bunker, and financial systems — so a schedule decision is never made in isolation from its commercial impact.

VSS vs. manual vessel scheduling

Schedule creation

✓ 30 secondsVSS platform✗ 2–4 hoursManual

Scenario simulation

✓ Live what-ifVSS platform✗ Manual reworkManual

Cost visibility

✓ Real-timeVSS platform✗ SpreadsheetsManual

Disruption alerts

✓ AutomatedVSS platform✗ Email-basedManual

Schedule publishing

✓ Auto pushVSS platform✗ Manual notifyManual

Planning efficiency

✓ Significantly fasterVSS platform✗ Reactive onlyManual