FDA
An FDA (Final Disbursement Account) is the final, reconciled statement of all costs incurred during a vessel's port call. It is issued by the ship agent after all supplier invoices have been received, validated, and reconciled against the original Proforma DA (PDA) estimate.
FDA workflow involves: collecting all supplier invoices (port authority, pilotage, towage, stevedores, husbandry providers), three-way matching against the PDA estimate and actual events captured during the call, calculating any over/under-payment (refund to principal or additional call for funds), generating the FDA document, and remitting any surplus or collecting any shortfall.
FDA closure speed is a key efficiency metric for ship agencies — laggards close DAs in 30-90 days; modern AI-augmented platforms close in 3-7 days.
The FDA is where a port call is finally settled — every supplier invoice reconciled against the PDA estimate, with any surplus refunded or shortfall collected. How fast an agency closes FDAs is a real efficiency measure: laggards take 30–90 days, AI-augmented platforms 3–7.
reconciled
refund / call funds
What is the difference between a PDA and an FDA?
The Proforma DA (PDA) is the pre-call estimate the principal funds in advance; the Final DA (FDA) is the post-call statement of actuals, reconciled against the PDA to settle any difference.
Why does FDA closure speed matter?
Open DAs tie up cash and obscure the true cost of a call. Faster closure returns surplus funds sooner and gives owners accurate, timely port-cost data.