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Zoho, Odoo, ERPNext, Dynamics 365 and custom ERP, delivered by one accountable team.
For ship repair yards, boat builders, marine engineering and vessel service companies that need job costing per vessel and tight control of spares.
An ERP for marine companies in the UAE is built around the vessel. Ship repair yards, boat builders and marine engineering firms keep vessel master records with engines and service history, convert repair estimates into work orders and variation orders, and cost labour, materials and subcontract work per job. Spare parts are tracked by part number, serial number and location.
An ERP for marine companies in the UAE is built around the vessel. Whether you repair tugs and supply boats in Dubai Maritime City, build fibreglass boats in Ajman, service yachts at a marina or provide marine engineering from Hamriyah or Fujairah, every piece of work is tied to a specific hull, engine or system, and every vessel owner expects a clear estimate and a clear final bill.
Marine jobs are hard to cost. A dry docking can start with a defined scope and grow by dozens of variation items once the hull is out of the water. Labour comes from several trades, materials range from steel plate to imported engine parts, and subcontractors handle blasting, painting or class surveys. If estimates, timesheets and purchases sit in different files, the yard often finds out it lost money after the vessel has sailed.
This page focuses on marine services, repair and building. If you operate as a ship agent, liner agent or NVOCC, see our separate page on ERP for shipping companies, which covers port calls and voyage accounting.
These issues are typical for UAE yards and marine service companies.
New defects are found once the vessel is opened up. If extra work is not captured as approved variation orders, the owner disputes the final invoice.
Engine and propulsion parts may come from Europe or Asia with weeks of lead time. Without visibility of open orders and stock, vessels sit idle waiting for a part.
Welders, fitters, electricians and painters all book time to the same vessel. Manual timesheets make it hard to see real labour cost against the estimate.
Slipway, dry dock and berth slots are limited. Overlapping bookings or overruns push back the next vessel and its revenue.
New builds use bills of materials and staged payments. Without milestone billing linked to progress, cash flow suffers.
When a vessel returns, technicians cannot see what was done last time, which parts were fitted or what warranty applies.
A typical repair or refit job, from enquiry to closing the vessel file.
One shared database: every step updates stock, finance and reports in real time.
The right mix depends on whether you repair, build or service vessels, but these modules form the core.
Each vessel with its IMO or registration number, owner, engines, generators and installed equipment.
Estimates built from labour rates, material lists and subcontract quotes, with versions as scope changes.
Repair jobs broken into work packages per trade, with variation orders approved by the owner.
Trade-wise time booked to vessel and work package from the yard floor via tablet or kiosk.
Marine spares, consumables and steel tracked by part number, serial and storage location.
Purchase requests from jobs, supplier quotes and import orders with expected arrival dates.
Bills of materials and work centres for hulls, fit-out and outfitting stages.
Technicians sent to vessels at anchor, in port or at marinas, with job reports and parts used.
What a yard manager or service manager checks every morning.
We implement each of these platforms. The best fit depends on the kind of marine work you do.
| Business type | Often a good fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ship repair yard or refit facility | Odoo | Projects, timesheets, purchase, inventory and maintenance share one database, and variation orders are easy to model. |
| Boat builder | ERPNext or Odoo | Both offer bills of materials, work orders and milestone billing suited to new builds. |
| Marine engineering and service company | Zoho One or Odoo | Field service, CRM and inventory handle technician visits and parts sales without heavy setup. |
| Larger marine group with several entities | Dynamics 365 | Project accounting, multi-currency purchasing and consolidation across companies. |
| Unique yard planning needs | Custom ERP | Berth and dock scheduling rules can be built as a custom planning module on top of a standard core. |
Marine activities can have specific VAT treatment, so tax setup needs care.
UAE VAT law includes specific provisions for certain means of transport and related goods and services, including some qualifying vessels. Whether zero-rating applies depends on the vessel and the supply. Set up tax codes with your tax advisor and keep the supporting evidence in the ERP.
Imported spares carry customs duty and import VAT. ERP links customs declarations and landed costs to the purchase so the true part cost reaches the job.
Yards in free zones may be Qualifying Free Zone Persons subject to conditions. Accurate job and entity-level accounting supports that assessment; confirm with your tax advisor.
Yard workers are paid through WPS with gratuity accrued under UAE Labour Law. E-invoicing through Accredited Service Providers is phased in from 2027; check the latest Ministry of Finance and FTA guidance.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Rules change; confirm current FTA, MOHRE and Ministry of Finance guidance with your advisor.
Typical goals, not guaranteed outcomes.
Approved variation orders and documented work make final invoices easier for owners to accept.
Open orders and stock levels are visible, so critical spares are ordered early.
Labour, materials and subcontracts are captured against each vessel as the work happens.
Dock and berth plans show overruns early, helping the next vessel arrive on time.
Typical ranges for a single-site yard or service company; new build operations take longer.
Durations are typical ranges; your plan is agreed after discovery.
Walk the yard, review estimates, timesheets, stores and how variations are approved today.
Set up vessel records, estimating templates, projects, inventory and procurement.
Load vessels, customers, spares catalogue, stock balances and open jobs.
Run one or two live repair jobs end to end before moving all work across.
Train yard supervisors and storekeepers and review margin reports after the first month.
Maintenance, projects and logistics-related pages.
We configure the system for the rules UAE businesses report against, and test it before go-live.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the FTA, MOHRE or your advisor. See all UAE compliance guides.
On-site workshops in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, and remote or on-site delivery across the Northern Emirates and free zones.
Official sources and references
Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Rules change, so confirm current requirements before acting.
Still have a question? Our consultants are happy to help.
Ask an ExpertYes. Every job, part fitted, technician report and invoice is linked to the vessel record. When the vessel returns, the team sees past work and warranty status straight away.
Additional work is raised as a variation against the main job, priced from your rates and sent to the owner for approval. Approved variations flow into the final invoice so nothing is missed.
Standard project and planning tools can show vessels against dock or berth resources. Where yard rules are complex, we build a simple planning view tailored to your facility.
The system applies whatever tax codes you configure, but deciding which supplies qualify for special treatment is a tax question. We set up the codes and evidence fields with your tax advisor.
Yes. Our office is in Dubai and we work on-site and remotely with companies in Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Abu Dhabi.
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Talk to our Dubai team about ERP for your yard, boat building or marine service business.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
