Customer Overview
Seatrade is an international shipping company with a global footprint, specialising in refrigerated shipping and logistics. The company is committed to its Fast, Direct and Dedicated concept, ensuring cargo moves efficiently with minimal waste across the full logistics chain.
Richard Tiggelaar, Leader Team Accounting at Seatrade, shared his experience using the MarTrust e-wallet across the fleet.
Challenge: Manual Payroll Processing and Repetitive Administrative Work
Before adopting MarTrust, Seatrade processed seafarer allotments manually:
The accounting team created payroll monthly. Seafarers' allotments and bank accounts often differed, requiring manual checks. Significant time was spent preparing payments every month.
As Richard explains: "We were spending a lot of time creating the payments for wages every month."
Solution: MarTrust E-Wallet & Digital Payroll Management
Seatrade was already familiar with Marcura through long-term DA-Desk use in their Breda office. When Marcura presented a new DA-Desk module, the MarTrust e-wallet was introduced alongside it, leading Seatrade to adopt the solution fleet-wide for Russian and Ukrainian crew, with Filipino crew as the next group considered for rollout.
Key Benefits Delivered
Significant Reduction in Workload
MarTrust automated and simplified the monthly wage and allotment process. "MarTrust reduced the workload a lot."
With MarTrust handling more communication directly with crew, the back-and-forth between accounting and seafarers decreased. Crew can now access and manage their own e-wallets independently.
Faster Payroll Uploads and Approvals
Richard highlights how easy it is to manage payroll in MarTrust: quick upload, simple scheduling, smooth approvals, and easy addition of users and super-users. This made monthly payroll execution significantly more efficient.
Strong, Positive Adoption from Seafarers
Crew feedback has been consistently positive, especially around adding multiple bank accounts, transferring funds to colleagues' e-wallets, and having greater control over their own funds.
Seafarers Gain Full Control of Their Funds
With MarTrust, crew can transfer money to any bank account, use their MarTrust cards for online and offline purchases, and withdraw cash via ATMs. Richard notes this autonomy is a "huge benefit for them."
Major Cost Savings from Reduced CTM
Cash-to-Master deliveries previously created substantial bank charges, around $100,000 USD per year for Seatrade. By reducing the amount of cash onboard, Seatrade can cut these costs dramatically. "If the cash can be reduced there, you will have a lot of savings from bank charges alone."
Safety was another driver: with many vessels calling West African ports, avoiding large sums of cash onboard is a key security measure.
Brings "Home" Closer to Seafarers
Fast digital remittances make a tangible difference to crew welfare. Richard explains that if a seafarer's family needs money urgently, funds can be transferred within seconds, arriving instantly in the bank account or card of their partner. "It brings home a little closer to him."
Better Cash-Flow Control for Seatrade
Beyond crew benefits, MarTrust provides Seatrade with more control over cash flow. This was a primary reason for the shift to digital payments: "The MarTrust solution for the company allows us to have better cash flow control, which is the main reason for doing this."
Smooth Onboarding and Strong Trust
The onboarding process was smooth, crucial given the sensitive nature of seafarer wages: "We had to deliver many documents… but that has to do with safety… The onboarding process went very smoothly for us."
Outcome
Through MarTrust, Seatrade has:
Streamlined payroll operations
Reduced repetitive administrative work
Lowered CTM-related bank charges
Increased safety by reducing onboard cash
Improved cash-flow visibility
Empowered seafarers with faster access and full control over their funds
