NOT an idle game (for beta): time only passes while the game is open, at a constant speed, or 2x or 4x with fast forward (see Top bar).
On quit, the game saves and the world freezes. On Continue, everything resumes exactly where it left off. Ships do not move and no money is earned while the game is closed.
Ships trade (see Trading): they buy a commodity at one port and sell it at the next. Profit is the price difference, less fuel, repairs, canal tolls, port fees and crew wages.
Port fees: a delivery sold at a port where the company has no HQ or hub pays 10% of the trade's margin (what the cargo sold for, less what it cost; nothing on a trade at a loss). The sale's log line shows it ("port fee $1,200"), the route screen's leg preview allows for it, and the Finances tab totals it as "Port fees" (the ship table puts it with the tolls).
Crew wages: every ship has captains and crew by its tier. Every two calendar weeks (about 17 minutes of play) each ship that worked in that time (sailed, did a job or a stop in port) pays its full wages: $3,270 a captain and $1,090 a crew member (a Scooter $5,450, a Dominator $361,880); ships idle the whole time pay nothing. Calibrated on the median profitable route: about 20% of a Scooter's profit, 10% of a Feeder 100's, 5% of a Dominator's (crew-heavy livestock carriers more, big tankers and car carriers less). Each ship's officers are characters made up when it's bought: the first is its Captain, in command, the rest its Mates. The shop's cards list each model's officers ("Captain + 2 mates"), crew and wages; the log says each payday ("Payday: $16,350 in crew wages for 3 ships"); the Finances tab totals them as "Crew wages" and gives each ship a Wages column.
Loans: on the Finances page's Your company tab, under Keep in the bank, a Loan row shows what's owed with Borrow $1M and Pay back $1M buttons: up to $10M in $1M steps (paying back needs the money; the last step pays off what's left). Interest of 8% a year is charged on what's owed each crew payday (a period's share, $30,685 on $10M), logged and counted in Finances as "Loan interest" (part of operating profit). Saved with the company.
Debt: wages are paid whatever the money, so they can take it below $0 (the top bar shows it in red). A company in debt runs its ships on credit, buying their fuel, repairs, full cargo loads and canal tolls whatever the money, so nothing stops and sales pay the debt off; but it can buy nothing else (ships, upgrades, hub points) until it's back above $0.
Every delivery (when unloading finishes) adds its units to the company's delivered totals, by commodity (shown on the Finances screen).
Ships buy their own fuel at each port's local price, which follows the oil price there (cheapest in the Gulf, most expensive on remote islands); on average it's half the old $2.40. Repair costs are half what they were.
Maritime Empire