Ship management company Thome Group is to introduce a new digital payment system for crew wages following the announcement of a deal with US-based company ShipMoney.
Thome has a global crew pool of around 12,000 seafarers and a managed fleet of more than 400 vessels, providing a mix of full third-party ship management or crew-only managed services.
All Thome Group seafarers will be given access to the ShipMoney platform of digital payment services to manage crew payroll payments, international remittances, money transfers, mobile tops-ups, payroll advances, and onboard expenses.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has markedly accelerated the need to switch to card and digital payments, as the industry moves away from the old-fashioned cash-to-master system and searches for more convenient digital solutions,” said Peter Schellenberger, Vice President Supply Chain, Thome Group.
“This is the first step for Thome in its aim to move towards the ‘cashless vessel’ and I look forward to working with the team at ShipMoney to make this a reality.”
