Cash to Master
Cash to Master (CTM) is cash — or its secure electronic equivalent — that the ship's agent delivers to the master on behalf of the owner or operator, to meet onboard requirements: crew wages and allotments, ship's cash, minor purchases and contingencies. It is arranged during the port call and accounted for through the vessel's disbursement account.
CTM is a routine but sensitive part of husbandry agency: it involves moving significant sums to the ship, so it carries handling fees, currency and security considerations, and increasingly moves to digital cash-to-master platforms to reduce the risk of physical cash. The amount is estimated in the PDA and reconciled in the FDA like any other disbursement.
Cash to master keeps the ship and crew funded where banking ashore isn't practical. Because it means moving real money to the vessel, it is a security- and cost-sensitive agency task — estimated in the PDA, delivered during the call, and reconciled in the FDA.
agent
master
ship's cash
What is cash to master used for?
Onboard needs the master must pay locally — crew wages and allotments, ship's cash, minor purchases and contingencies — funded by the owner and delivered by the agent.
How is cash to master accounted for?
It is estimated in the proforma disbursement account (PDA) and reconciled in the final disbursement account (FDA) like any other port disbursement.