Leading travel management company BCD Travel and integrated maritime solutions leader Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) announced a new joint venture agreement to create a specialised, dynamic and highly responsive global marine travel services offering. The joint venture bolsters BCD’s expansion of its global Energy, Resources & Marine practice, adding specialized services for the marine sector.

Few kinds of travel rival seafarer movement in terms of complexity and the need for specialized services. This partnership offers additional value to clients through the synergies shared between the companies, including:

  • Comprehensive crew management applications and digital marine solutions developed through BSM’s technology division MariApps, which make it easier and more efficient to manage seafarers’ travel and logistic requirements
  • BSM’s deep understanding of seafarer needs based on over 30 years of experience managing challenging crew changes and travel for seafarers, and a heritage of over 135 years in the maritime industry
  • A global network of wholly-owned offices and the ability to provide comprehensive travel management services at scale
  • Additional in-country servicing with marine expertise in key shipping locations around the world
  • Further access to specialised marine and offshore content
  • BCD’s TripSource® powerful trip management platform, featuring itinerary management, relevant messages to travelers, safety information, and hotel booking functionality (when applicable by policy) to keep travelers engaged and organized
  • BCD’s DecisionSource® analytics and intelligence platform, enabling maritime operations to gain insights and drive better decisions across both crew and corporate travel spend.

“BCD recognizes that the marine sector has nuances. Our new joint venture agreement with BSM not only brings specialized expertise in the maritime industry to our current and prospective clients, it allows both companies to utilize the best technology and service offerings available in their respective sectors—all at the optimal level of service and cost,” said Stewart Harvey, BCD Travel President–EMEA.

Seafarers rely on their agencies to have global and local expertise, added flexibility and carefully timed connections to arrive precisely when and where they are needed. Transporting personnel to vessels, oil rigs or dredgers, and managing crew changes and last-minute bookings requires a lot of coordination and experience. This sector is rich in history and tradition, and those operating within it must understand that.

“Our new joint venture couples BSM’s specialised technology and deep understanding of the needs of clients in the maritime industry with BCD’s global scale and highly regarded corporate travel expertise, bringing to the market an unparalleled service offering,” said Yiannis Sykas, BSM Director of Strategy and Product Development.

Source: BSM