Case study · i-Seaports for NetSuite
Port of Galveston streamlines port operations with NetSuite + Harbour Mastery.
Cloud-based Harbour Mastery and Oracle NetSuite ERP modernized the port's cruise, cargo, ground transportation, fishing fleet and real estate operations, and unified its eCommerce operations.
1.5M+
Cruise passengers in 2024
80%
Tariff coverage in Phase I (vs. ~30% before)
90%
Less manual entry for ground transportation fees
200+
Taxi, limo & shuttle operators on the portal
The port
The “Port of Everything.”
Located at the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel, the Port of Galveston is Texas's only cruise home-port and a vital Gulf gateway for passengers and international trade. In 2024 it welcomed over 1.5 million cruise passengers, making it the fourth-busiest cruise port in the U.S.
Its 840-acre complex handles roll-on/roll-off cargo, dry bulk, refrigerated fruit, export grain, and general and project cargo, while Pelican Island hosts ship and rig repair plus liquid bulk operations.
The challenge
Rising complexity across four platforms.
Managing revenue, purchasing, payroll and lease billing across four platforms meant endless spreadsheet workarounds. Cruise parking, tariff negotiations, cargo reservations and real estate billing all lived in silos, limiting visibility and slowing decisions.
“Our diverse and unintegrated legacy systems had become too complex to manage operations, transactions, and accounting efficiently.”
The solution
A maritime-built ERP inside NetSuite.
After reviewing multiple vendors, port leadership chose Oracle NetSuite OneWorld paired with Harbour Mastery's i-Seaports for NetSuite.
Agent Services
24/7 online reservation and service-requests management by the Operations Team
Vessel & Cargo Logistics
Unified reservation entry and comprehensive financial processing
Cruise & Passenger Logistics
Digital scheduling, boarding-bridge coordination and passenger-parking workflows
Real Estate Property Management
Automated, recurring billing for leases, docks and parking
Trade Contracts Management
Real-time tracking of complex tariff and service agreements
“We wanted a cloud-based anywhere/anytime ERP system to position us for growth and diversity in the future.”
Implementation
Phased for speed and impact.
- 01
Four platforms
Revenue, purchasing, payroll and leases in silos.
- 02
Selection
NetSuite OneWorld + Harbour Mastery i-Seaports.
- 03
Live in 75 days
Phase I: revenue, purchasing and accounting.
- 04
One system
Cruise, cargo, real estate and more on one ledger.
Phase I
Core Operations
Integrated cruise and cargo reservations, tariff and trade agreement management, service-delivery workflows, and automated billing.
Phase II
Support Functions
Unified reservation entry and comprehensive financial processing.
Phase III
24/7 Smart Port
Oracle NetSuite SuiteCommerce for ground transportation providers, real estate tenants, the home-ported fishing fleet and party boats, and long-term parking tenants.
“We designed Phase I to get all revenue generation, purchasing, and accounting integrated… That approach let us go live quickly and see ROI from day one.”
Results
Tangible gains across every operation.
Cargo & cruise billing
“We have achieved better management of our complex tariff system—reaching 80 percent coverage in Phase I versus barely 30 percent under our old setup.” Phase II is expected to reach 95%.
Streamlined workflows
Cruise rotations and cargo bookings feed directly into the A/R dashboard. Quality checks and CFO sign-off happen before invoicing. Manifests and service records attach to voyage numbers, eliminating paper.
Simplified ground transportation
Over 200 operators process port access fees through a POS-integrated portal that posts deposits directly and links transactions to specific sailings, cutting manual entry by 90%.
Real estate recurring billing
Automated monthly invoicing for piers, warehouses, long- and short-term leases, marina slips, and the new 1,600-space garage.
Cruise parking analytics
Parking revenue is allocated to specific cruise vessel calls and facilities, with monthly profitability analytics across 12 parking facilities.
24/7 client self-service
Port clients can see their accounts, print reports, pay bills, download documents, and make service requests at any time.
“We now have a single source of truth for vessel calls and cargo services saving us time and expense that we can reinvest in marketing.”
“NetSuite and i-Seaports give us the flexibility to meet our 20-year Strategic Master Plan.”
Looking ahead
Cruising toward growth.
Integrated Labor Management
Centralize time, attendance and PTO tracking with NetSuite Workforce and Field Services Management.
Advanced Operations Work Logs
Tie every billable activity to resources, equipment and materials.
Expanded Agent Services
Extend the Berth Request system to vessel agents for one berth-management workflow.
Boarding-Bridge Integration
Reduce manual entry further by integrating boarding-bridge systems.