Brightwell, Viking Maritime Team On Payroll Management For Ships

FinTech Brightwell, which helps global workers get paid and transmit funds, and Viking Maritime have joined forces for a tie-up that will equip small- to medium-sized cruise vessels and very large yachts with a payroll service, according to a Monday (July 12) announcement.

The offering will be a part of the Viking Maritime crew management solution, which encompasses international crew employment and payroll, deployment and travel, placement and education, the announcement stated.

“We’ve been working with Viking Maritime for years now, so the integration and processes between our two companies are in place and well established, making it easy to eliminate cash and begin paying crews digitally, almost immediately,” said Brightwell Senior Vice President of Sales Ernie Moran in the announcement. “We look forward to the expanded reach that this latest partnership will bring, helping us deliver financial freedom to crews worldwide.”

Viking Maritime now provides a “plug-and-play” pay card and remittance effort that streamlines payroll and lets yachts in addition to small- to medium-sized cruise vessels “fund their entire crews within one month,” according to the announcement.

Those who work on the vessels will be able to tap into Brightwell’s mobile app, integrated international transfer services and prepaid card to control, send and save funds in a simpler fashion, the announcement stated.

“Brightwell’s focus on the maritime industry and reputation as a tech-first company dedicated to innovation and truly understanding crew member needs make it the ideal partner and complement to our services,” said Viking Maritime Group Managing Director Matthew Jaenicke in the announcement.

The news comes as maritime company Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) has implemented Nium technologies to make electronic payments more accessible to seafarers worldwide.

“Our maritime payments solution provides an efficient and cost-saving way for shipping company management to digitalize payments, including disbursing payroll and making vendor payments,” Gitesh Athavale, head of sales for South East Asia and Hong Kong, said in an announcement in May.