PDA
A Proforma Disbursement Account (PDA) is the ship agent's estimate of all the costs a vessel will incur at a port — port dues, pilotage, towage, berth hire, agency fee, and expected cash to master — prepared and sent to the principal (owner or charterer) before the call. On the strength of the PDA the principal remits funds in advance so the agent can pay port service providers on time.
After the call, the agent reconciles actual costs against the PDA in the Final Disbursement Account (FDA), returning any surplus or invoicing any shortfall. A tight, accurate PDA is central to agency cash management: under-estimate and the agent funds the gap; over-estimate and the principal's cash is tied up unnecessarily.
The PDA is how a port call gets funded before it happens. It sets the cash the principal advances, so its accuracy decides whether the agent is out of pocket, or the owner's money sits idle. It is the opening figure the FDA later reconciles against.
estimate
paid
actuals
What is the difference between a PDA and an FDA?
The PDA is the agent's estimate of port costs sent before the call to secure advance funds; the FDA is the final account reconciling actual costs after the call.
What does a PDA include?
Estimated port dues, pilotage, towage, berth hire, the agency fee and expected cash to master — the full expected cost of the port call.