Digital transformation leader is speaking at Posidonia 2022 about ‘A Better Life at Sea’
Posidonia, the international shipping exhibition, takes place every two years and has long been established as one of the major calendar events of the shipping industry.
It attracts the most influential personalities from the Greek and international shipping community and major companies and organisations active in all sectors of the shipping industry.
After two and a half years of travel restrictions, the team at Marcura, including members from the MarTrust, DA-Desk, and PortLog teams, are looking forward to connecting with industry contacts once again in Athens.
Going from strength to strength in Greece
Marcura’s global customer base includes many prominent Greek customers, whom they are privileged to serve with the support of its local team.
On the growth of Marcura’s presence in Greece, Mags Moroney, Sales Manager at DA-Desk, who is based in Athens, commented:
“As a recent joiner to the Marcura Group, I am excited to attend Posidonia this year and meet our very important Greek customers, as well as our international clients travelling from abroad.
“Greece is a key market within the global maritime space, and I am truly honoured to be part of the Marcura team based here in Athens.
“Our strength in Greece has grown to 13 team members, supporting three of Marcura’s companies: PortLog, MarTrust and DA-Desk.”
Marcura recognises the importance of this event. Domenico Carlucci, MarTrust’s CEO, will be speaking at the Global Maritime Club Summit, as part of an expert panel on the subject of ‘A Better Life at Sea’, which provides a forum to discuss how to improve crew welfare among other areas
The vital role of seafarers
On the subject of crew welfare, Domenico commented: “Crew welfare is at the core of MarTrust’s purpose.
“World trade is powered in large part by commercial shipping. And commercial shipping is totally reliant on seafarers.
“As a result, we believe crews have, and deserve, a special status. Our part of the crew welfare picture is crew payments.
“We believe crews and their families have a right not to worry about getting paid in full and on time.
“COVID has introduced many difficulties for crews and their families. These issues stem from a historically high reliance on cash/physical money in maritime, and suboptimal ways of paying and transferring money around the world.
“The war in Ukraine has further exacerbated these immense challenges, for many seafarers and their employers, as banking systems are either shut down or hard to reach.
“The crew welfare technology powering MarTrust enables crews to receive, hold, transfer and spend money without being dependent on fully functioning banking systems.
“We all need seafarers to continue to facilitate global trade for energy, food and much more.
“At MarTrust, we’re proud to do our bit to help them.”
Supporting new customers
It’s been an extremely busy time for the team at MarTrust of late, with many new customers coming on board that have realised the need to improve crew welfare, due to the impact of COVID on seafarers and their families, and the need for digitisation regarding payments.
Many organisations and their crew have benefitted from the technology powering MarTrust, which enables seafarers to receive, hold, transfer and spend money without being dependent on fully functioning banking systems.
MarTrust’s E-Wallet and card solution ensure that seafarers can get their funds back to their families quickly and securely, with no annual fees and at reduced FX rates.
The MarTrust E-Wallet allows them to hold up to 7 different currencies, and when seafarers send money from the E-Wallet they can send payments in over 130 currencies.
This enables seafarers to be paid quicker, compared to the traditional banking routes, and provides them with complete control of their funds and online purchases with reduced risks and lower transaction costs.
The ability to quickly transfer money to anyone they need to at any time – in particular, sending much-needed financial support back to their families – alleviates some of the monetary challenges of being at sea for extended periods, enhancing their welfare and wellbeing. MarTrust has reduced the average wire transfer cost by 50%.
Digitising and simplifying
For companies, MarTrust’s E-Wallet and corporate card also reduce the Cash-to-Master requirement by as much as 80%, and therefore the amount of cash that is needed on board a vessel. This mitigates the security risk for the asset and crew, as well as significantly improving working capital.
The E-Wallet and card also reduce the need for seafarers to manage or store significant amounts of cash, providing increased security. By using the card, cash can be accessed at any Mastercard supported ATM or bank teller around the world, and the card can be topped up in up to eight different currencies providing complete flexibility.
The E-Wallet will also include a new Salary on Demand service, which enables seafarers to track and use their income anytime and anywhere, and align it with their expenses, further improving their financial wellbeing and welfare.
Additionally, it also helps shipping companies optimise their cash flow, eliminate the administrative costs and pains associated with maintaining salary advances, and save money on banking transfer fees and other charges associated with Cash-to-Master payments to advance salaries to seafarers.
The MarTrust E-Wallet and card ensure that they can get much-needed funds back to their families quickly and securely. This can make a significant difference in improving crew welfare at a time of real challenge for all seafarers.
The Marcura team cannot wait to connect with old friends, and new, at Posidonia next week.
So, make sure to visit MarTrust on stand 3.213 with their partner, Wilhelmsen Ship Service; reach out to other members of the Marcura team who will be in attendance; and be sure to catch MarTrust CEO, Domenico Carlucci’s panel discussion at the Global Maritime Club Summit on 9 June.
