In this report
Why maritime is different: Why maritime invoicing is uniquely complex compared to other industries.
Validation, approvals and payments: The best practices leading companies use to streamline validation, approvals and payments.
Built for shipping: What makes ShipServ E-Invoicing different, and purpose-built for shipping.
Every side of the invoice: How buyers, suppliers and procurement leaders can simplify invoicing and reduce costly errors.
E-invoicing in maritime procurement is still hard because of complexity, not resistance, according to a 2025 e-book from ShipServ, part of Marcura. The e-book lists four maritime challenges and six e-invoicing best practices. Its second half describes how ShipServ E-invoicing works.
Why is e-invoicing still hard in maritime procurement?
Maritime procurement still finds e-invoicing hard because of complexity, not resistance or a lack of awareness, ShipServ’s e-book argues. Across most industries, e-invoicing is business as usual. In our terms, e-invoicing means exchanging invoices as structured data that systems can read and check, not as documents someone retypes.
In those industries, the e-book says, structured data, automated validations and seamless integration with finance systems have transformed how invoices are processed and paid. Maritime procurement is “not so simple”. Despite widespread procurement digitalisation, most maritime buyers and suppliers still deal with PDF invoices over email and manual data entry into ERPs. They also face inconsistent processes across ports, partners and systems.
The e-book lists four challenges:
Voyage-specific POs and item-level invoice data
Global suppliers with varying digital maturity
Frequent currency mismatches and manual validations
High volumes of low-value, time-sensitive invoices
Where do generic e-invoicing tools fall short in maritime?
Generic e-invoicing tools “often fail to fully address” the complexities of maritime procurement, ShipServ’s e-book argues. Maritime’s complexity comes from fragmented systems, global suppliers, voyage-based billing and a lack of maritime-specific invoice tools. Generic tools “weren’t designed for this environment”. They leave teams stitching together spreadsheets, approvals and supplier follow-ups, and expose the business to risk, delay and lost time.
What does e-invoicing best practice look like?
ShipServ’s e-book sets out six e-invoicing best practices and calls them “universal best practices”. They cover validation, line-item data, status visibility, integration, supplier compliance and fraud prevention. Across industries, e-invoicing has become “a proven way to streamline procurement, reduce errors, and accelerate payments”. The e-book adds that the practices are widely recognised, but that maritime procurement brings unique complexities.
The e-book's six e-invoicing best practices. Source: E-invoicing in maritime procurement: getting it right, where it's hardest, ShipServ (2025).
Best practice | What the e-book says |
|---|---|
Automate validation checks upfront | Avoids errors, disputes and payment delays |
Capture structured invoice data at line-item level | Enables accurate 3-way matching with POs and delivery notes |
Ensure real-time visibility of invoice and payment status | Cuts down on supplier follow-ups and relationship strain |
Integrate seamlessly with procurement platforms and ERP/PMS | Reduces manual touchpoints and improves data integrity |
Make it easy for suppliers to comply | Buyer views summarised report on supplier document submission status |
Prevent fraud with verified suppliers and bank details | Adds a layer of protection against common fraud patterns |
In our terms, line-item data means each invoice line (item, quantity, price) arrives as its own field, not as text in a PDF. 3-way matching, also in our terms, checks an invoice against its purchase order and delivery note before it is paid. Integration, also in our terms, lets that data flow on through the procure-to-pay process, from the procurement platform into the ERP.
Our guide to maritime invoice control follows an invoice from purchase order to payment. For the fraud practice, our article on supplier bank account fraud in maritime AP looks at one risk in detail.
How should maritime teams approach e-invoicing?
To overcome maritime’s challenges, organisations need more than simple invoice digitisation, ShipServ’s e-book argues. They require “purpose-built e-invoicing designed around the realities of how the industry operates”.
The e-book’s second half is ShipServ describing its own product, ShipServ E-invoicing, which it says is built into the ShipServ platform. Its How It Works section shows four items: supplier submission via API, smart data capture with validation controls, delivery to the buyer’s Trade Workspace, and real-time email notifications.
About this e-book
E-invoicing in maritime procurement: getting it right, where it’s hardest is a six-page e-book published by ShipServ, part of Marcura, with a 2025 copyright line. It is a vendor e-book, not a survey or study. It names no authors and cites no sources or figures.
Two pages set out its general argument, and two describe ShipServ E-invoicing. It does not cover e-invoicing regulation or mandates. This summary leaves out the e-book’s product outcome claims and the company logos it prints.
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