Collaboration, Insight & Industry Progress: Mintra’s 2026 System User Forum

Now in its 37th year, Mintra’s System User Forum has grown from a small customer gathering around a single PC in 1989, into one of the company’s most valuable annual opportunities for collaboration, innovation and shared learning.

Held in Bergen, the 2026 forum brought together 170 attendees from 55 companies across Europe for two days of focused discussion, knowledge sharing and industry insight.

Reflecting on the event, CTO Siren Berge said, “We want to say a big thank you to everyone who joined us for two days of focused discussion, knowledge sharing and collaboration in Bergen. The energy, openness and willingness to share knowledge made this event truly special.”

Kjetil Flood, CCO at Mintra

Kjetil Flood, CCO, added, “What stands out most is how the forum continues to evolve alongside our customers. Every year, the conversations become more strategic, the challenges more complex, and the opportunities for collaboration even greater.”

With representation spanning HR, Crewing, Accounting, Payroll, Training and Competence, the forum provided an important opportunity for Mintra to share updates on acquisitions, product roadmaps and innovation. Customers and industry peers exchanged insights, explored challenges and provided valuable feedback on future needs.

As Kjetil noted, “The ability to listen and learn from each other remains at the heart of what we do.”

A Forum Built on Partnership

One of the defining strengths of the System User Forum is the opportunity it creates for genuine collaboration with open discussion around shared challenges, operational priorities and future industry direction.

It is designed to encourage dialogue. Delegates were highly engaged throughout, actively sharing experiences, asking questions and contributing feedback that will help shape future product development and service delivery.

The mix of formal presentations, panel discussions, workshops and informal networking created an environment where customers could connect with Mintra specialists, as well as with industry peers. This exchange of ideas remains one of the most valuable aspects of the event, helping organisations benchmark approaches, share best practice and explore new ways of working.

As Kjetil Flood noted, “The strength of the forum lies in its ability to bring people together with a shared focus on continuous improvement and long-term partnership.”

Natalia Royo de Hagerman / Ambassador & Consul at Embassy of Panama

Industry Insight & Product Innovation

The forum opened with a keynote from Ambassador & Consul at Embassy of Panama, Natalia Royo de Hagerman, who stated, “Technological innovation, geopolitical conflicts, and climate pressures are reshaping the way maritime systems operate worldwide. Recent geopolitical conflicts illustrate how quickly disruptions can affect global shipping.”

This was followed by a panel discussion examining the growing role of technology and AI across the maritime and energy sectors. These themes were reinforced in a dedicated session on the EU AI Act by the Managing Associate at Schjødt, who provided important context for customers navigating an evolving regulatory landscape.

This year’s emphasis on AI highlights growing customer demand and sets the stage for Mintra’s upcoming launch of a new AI Awareness eLearning course. The course will cover the EU AI Act, serving as an excellent resource for organisations aiming to identify risks and prohibited practices, understand their obligations, take appropriate actions, and enhance AI literacy.

Product roadmap sessions for Mintra’s OCS crewing and payroll system and Trainingportal Learning and Competence Management system gave attendees an overview of progress made in 2025 and a forward look at planned developments.

The sessions generated strong engagement, with delegates providing constructive feedback and sharing perspectives based on operational experience. This collaborative approach ensures future enhancements continue to align closely with customer needs.

Several new features and updates were introduced during the forum, focused on improving usability, strengthening workflows and supporting evolving workforce requirements.

Learning from Customers

Customer-led sessions were a key part of the programme, offering practical insight into how organisations are applying Mintra solutions across their operations.

ESVAGT shared its approach to travel booking using OCS, while KOTUG presented its experience of Trainingportal implementation.

Sessions exploring digital learning maturity also highlighted how organisations are structuring and scaling their learning strategies.

Panel Debate

The customer panel discussion, Crewing in the Digital Age: Right Competence, Right Time, Right Place, provided a focused examination of workforce management challenges. Panellists Arnoud van de Wiel from Stolt Tankers and Milena Niepsuj-Borowska at Mercator Crewing discussed how technology is helping organisations improve planning, competence management and operational efficiency.

On the adoption of AI in maritime operations, Milena said, “As long as we are talking about regular, repeatable, standard situations, AI will help a lot, in regard to data collection, selection, and assistance to make a decision. However, in the end, I still believe that it's a human who will make the final decision, especially in situations that fall outside the regular matters.”

'Crewing in the Digital Age: Right Competence, Right Time, Right Place' Panel

‘Ask the Experts’ workshops

Interactive Workshops

Interactive workshops and ‘Ask the Experts’ sessions gave delegates direct access to Mintra specialists across a range of disciplines. These smaller, discussion-led sessions enabled deeper exploration of specific challenges and encouraged practical knowledge sharing tailored to individual organisational needs.

Siren Berge reflected, “It was fantastic to see so much in-depth discussion and receive so much constructive feedback and learning around new ideas and functionalities of our systems.”

Alongside the formal agenda, the evening programme provided some fun with a banquet and award-winning entertainment from a magician and live music, as well as valuable opportunities for informal networking and relationship-building.

Positive Delegates Feedback

The 2026 conference received positive feedback from delegates who completed the survey, achieving a 'Great' NPS score of 37. The majority of delegates would recommend this event to a friend or colleague, and particularly praised:

• "The short sessions showcasing practical applications of various systems and tools."
• "The Day 2 workshops, which provided a valuable opportunity to address topics relevant to me."
• "Meeting several representatives from Mintra, it's nice to get a face of the support staff"
• "The excellent company and an overall highly positive experience."
• "The dinner with entertainment, which was greatly appreciated."

Looking Ahead

Reflecting on the event, Kjetil Flood said, “This is offshore industries at their best. A community coming together not just to learn, but to collaborate, challenge thinking and shape what comes next.”

By bringing customers, partners and Mintra specialists together, the forum continues to shape not only product development, but the future of workforce management across maritime and energy.

Mintra extends its thanks to all attendees, speakers and contributors whose insights and openness helped make this year’s event such a success.

The next System User Forum will take place on 17 March 2027.