Mintra Successfully Migrates 197,000+ Seafarers

In one of the biggest learner migration projects in the maritime industry, Mintra has successfully transferred 197,126 seafarers and 1,021 businesses from the Safebridge platform to Trainingportal. This large-scale project, has not only enhanced Trainingportal’s capabilities but technologically upgraded and future-proofed Safebridge’s valuable learning content, making it accessible to more users, online and offline.

Despite the scale and complexity of the project, Mintra achieved a smooth migration. As a result, the migrated seafarers now benefit from a significant increase in the training and competency resources available to them on board.. With upgraded functionality and access to over 2,600 courses from Mintra’s extensive library, both individuals and organisations can now tailor their learning experiences to meet evolving demands—whether they’re training on or offshore. This ensures seafarers benefit from a 24/7 , user-friendly training experience, bolstering professional development and operational readiness.

Siren Berge, Mintra's Chief Technology Officer, praised the achievement: "I’m incredibly proud of the professionalism displayed by our team. This migration has greatly enhanced access to technology, high-quality learning, and customer support for over 197,000 seafarers worldwide. Our upgrade ensures that they can develop their careers, improve safety onboard, and access much-needed downtime—training whenever and wherever they want.”

Project Collaboration

The overall migration project spanned several years and required a cross-functional effort from 45 specialists in departments including Product, Sales, Development, Legal, Content, Support, and Finance. The well-coordinated project management ensured that each team’s contributions aligned with the project’s critical timeline and objectives.

A Smooth Transition

To ensure a smooth transition for users, Mintra implemented a robust communications and training strategy. This included conducting multiple familiarisation sessions and providing regular updates through email and phone communications.

Andri Anastasiou, Product Manager with Mintra, was a focal point for customer communications on the project. Andri commented, ‘Mintra hosted a series of “What to Expect” webinars, preparing customers for the upcoming changes and addressing any concerns.’

A “Welcome to Trainingportal” video was produced to guide administrators through their initial login experience. In-app guidance tours were made available for both students and administrators, while comprehensive user guides were developed to clearly explain the enhanced functionalities.

A key consideration throughout the project was maintaining the integrity of existing contractual agreements as Safebridge integrated into the Mintra group. With this in mind, no modifications to contracts were necessary. Migrated customers were simply asked to accept Trainingportal’s updated terms and conditions, ensuring a straightforward transition.

New Functionality

The migration wasn’t just about transferring users and training courses; it introduced new features to Trainingportal to enhance seafarer training:

• Commercial Module: Enabling self-service purchasing, license transfers, and the streamlining of internal sales and finance processes.
• Supervisor Authentication: Allowing offline exam supervision.
• MyCert Integration: Simplifying certificate verification with QR codes.
• Simulator Component: Providing practical, hands-on training in a controlled environment.
• Enhanced Reporting Capabilities: Improving data flow for internal and external stakeholders.

Course Redevelopment & SCORM Compliance

Mintra also redeveloped 41 Safebridge courses during the migration, adding online assessments in line with Mintra’s accredited processes. As well as this, all courses were upgraded to become SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) compliant. This was a key achievement to ensure the courses are all fully interoperable with any other SCORM-compliant learning management system (LMS).

A key focus in the first year of the project was the ECDIS offline functionality and the rebuild of 13 ECDIS courses, covering 15 different ECDIS models. Each course now has a flexible design that includes up to 7 hours of eLearning, 6 hours of practice exercises, and 3 hours of online assessment per course.

The course redevelopment involved a team of 10 designers and developers to create 236 hours of digital content and 2,400 assessment questions. This provides a fully functional onboard ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) training solution that can be accessed anywhere offline.

Marvin Bielek, Mintra’s Senior Project Manager & Instructional Designer, played a key role in the course redevelopment project. Marvin stated, ‘With these upgrades, the seafarers now can enjoy a more comprehensive training library both online and offline, enhancing their ability to train while at sea.’

High Satisfaction from Users

Mintra’s customer-centric approach paid off. Six months on from the migration, Trainingportal has recorded 33,728 enrolments, with seafarers completing over 30,540 courses to date.

Data collected through Trainingportals Appcues user engagement platform shows that 75% of migrated users were satisfied with the support they received during and after the migration, with 81% stating that Trainingportal met their expectations and 78% recommending it to others. Positive feedback, such as “Excellent!” and “Keep going the same way,” speaks volumes about the effectiveness of the Mintra teams’ efforts.

Conclusion

The Safebridge migration to Trainingportal demonstrates that large migrations of workforces onto new systems can be successfully achieved with the right team, processes and technology in place. Through strategic planning, innovation, and teamwork, Mintra delivered a future-proof training solution that supports the professional development and well-being of seafarers around the world.