Tutorial pier trap
The early-game soft-lock is usually pier → camp → ship, in that order — not ship first.
Build the pier before the hull
You need a pier slot connected to the Pirate Camp before the shipyard can deliver a vessel. If the tutorial arrow points at the water, place the pier foundation first, then run connectors from the camp to the pier end.
Connect pier to camp
A pier without a connector path is decoration. Link it with road or bridge to the same Pirate Camp that owns the island area. The ship assignment UI only activates once the pier is part of the camp network.
Place the ship at the pier
Ships must sit at a connected pier to crew and sail. Building the hull on a disconnected beach or the wrong pier slot leaves it stranded — select the pier, confirm connectors, then assign or build the ship there.
Still blocked?
Check that builders finished the pier construction phase and that no cliff gap breaks the connector line. Advanced piers need more resources but follow the same camp-link rule.