Comparison
Where Provenship fits — and where it doesn't.
A short, honest map of where Provenship fits in your stack vs the alternatives — by category, not by vendor name. If your situation isn't a clean fit, we say so.
Compare
How Provenship compares
We are not the right tool for every customer. The honest comparison below helps you decide whether to invest 20 minutes in a discovery call. Watch the 5-minute demo first; read our compliance posture; see pricing.
What Provenship is
Platform (not consulting), maritime emissions ledger, multi-regime (FuelEU Maritime + EU ETS shipping + IMO DCS + IMO CII + UK ETS), per-vessel-per-year subscription.
Maritime operations platforms (voyage planners, chartering desks, fleet ops).
Class society compliance suites and accredited verifier services. Provenship is the calculation + reporting layer, not the attestation authority and not the operations system.
vs Spreadsheet + consultants (the status quo)
Most operators today email noon reports + BDNs to internal DPA, reconcile in Excel, and hire an annual maritime consultant for EU MRV + FuelEU report compilation.
| Spreadsheet + consultant | Provenship | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Existing workflow | 1 week onboarding |
| Daily cost | 30 min DPA time / vessel | Real-time ingestion (spec 32) |
| Annual cost | €15k – €50k consultant + DPA time | $708 – $1,188 / vessel-year |
| Data quality | Manual; reconciliation errors at month-end + year-end | Automatic; reconciled against EMSA at the source |
| Verifier-ready report | Manually assembled, often incomplete | Auto-generated, signed pack ready |
| 2027 regulator changes | Manual rework | Regulatory tracker pushes notifications (spec 41) |
| Pricing source | Indicative consultant ranges | See /pricing |
| When to keep this approach | <3 vessels, no growth plan, full-time DPA available | — |
vs Class society compliance suites
Big class societies bundle compliance modules with survey/certification work. They are a good fit if you are vertically integrated with one of them.
| Class society suite | Provenship | |
|---|---|---|
| Verifier choice | Locked to that class society | Verifier-neutral by design (ADR-009 Part C, ADR-027) |
| Multi-regime ledger | Yes, but siloed per regime | One canonical dataset, projected to N regimes |
| Real-time noon ingestion | Strict template upload required | Email / Excel / PDF / screenshot accepted (spec 32) |
| Customization | Limited; enterprise contract | Per-tenant configurable |
| Vendor lock-in | High switching costs | Open data export at any time |
| Cost | €5k – €15k / vessel / year (typical) | $59 – $99 / vessel / month (see /pricing) |
| When to keep this approach | You already use them; vertically integrated with survey work | — |
vs Accredited verifier services
Common confusion: are not you a verifier? No. Verifiers sign your reports; Provenship produces them. We design the review-pack to verifier acceptance criteria.
| Verifier service | Provenship | |
|---|---|---|
| What they do | Independent third party signs the regulatory report | Calculates + produces the report; verifier signs |
| Legal authority | Yes — signature is legally binding | No — decision support; verifier-neutral |
| Cost model | €5k – €30k per verification cycle | Per-vessel-year subscription, includes review-pack export |
| Compatibility | Provenship designs the review-pack to their criteria (ADR-027) | Verifier signs Provenship's review-pack |
| Best together | Verifier signs Provenship's pack; customer pays both | Single workflow; verifier-neutral |
| Renewal cadence | Annual cycle | Continuous; review-pack refreshed any time |
| When to keep verifier alone | You have no calculation engine + use a class society's tool | — |
Category-fit decision tree
Mid-market shipping company (5–50 vessels): Operating in EU + 5+ regimes → Provenship fits Single regime, single ship type → Spreadsheet/consultant likely fine Locked into class society contract → Their suite if your contract requires Large operator (>200 vessels, enterprise): Provenship's v1 ICP doesn't fit operators of this size. Consider class society enterprise suite + custom integration. Revisit Provenship for the Phase 2 enterprise tier (2028+). Cargo owner (charterer / freight forwarder): Provenship's cargo-owner Scope 3 tier covers you (spec 33). Phase 2. Verifier: We don't compete with you. We produce the review-pack you sign. Talk to us about the Verifier Channel Plan.
We are not for you
Honest situations where Provenship is the wrong tool today.
- You operate exclusively outside the EU + UK regulatory zones. FuelEU + EU ETS + UK ETS do not apply; use whatever your flag state requires.
- You are a 200+ vessel operator with deep enterprise procurement. Our SLA + onboarding capacity is not there yet. Revisit Provenship for the Phase 2 tier (2028+).
- You need a calculation suite specifically certified by a particular class society. They have a lock; their suite is the right choice.
- You operate only inland waterway or coastal short-sea exempt vessels below the GT thresholds — out of regulatory scope.
- You need a chartering desk or cargo booking system. Different category. Use the operations platform that runs your fleet.
If any of these apply, please do not waste our discovery call.
FAQ
Why publish comparisons?
Trust + decision speed. Procurement evaluators read this section before scheduling. Hiding the comparison forces them to guess.
How often is this updated?
Quarterly. The footer shows the last review date.
Can I see Provenship + class society + verifier side-by-side?
The three comparison tables above are the side-by-side. Spec 09 is the internal source-of-truth if you need more detail; ask us.
What if I want to use Provenship alongside another tool?
Usually fine. We export open data and avoid lock-in. Migration paths are documented in our onboarding guide.
Why don't you list a specific competitor I care about?
We cover the main categories (spreadsheet, class society suite, verifier service). If a niche tool matters to you, ask us by email.
Do you have customer references?
Pre-LOI: not yet. Post-LOI: by referral with explicit consent.
Is the comparison biased?
Yes — we wrote it. We aim for honesty; if you spot inaccuracy, email us and we will correct in the next quarterly review.