The Partnership

EXMAR

EXMAR is a Belgium based global leader and provider of floating solutions for the operation, transportation  and  transformation  of  gas  and  has  a  fleet  of  more than 40 gas carriers and floating gas terminals. It is also the world’s largest independent transporter of ammonia with over  four  decades  of  experience in gas shipping. In late 2024, EXMAR partnered with Tilla Technologies  to  streamline  and  digitize  its  crew  change  operations  –  an  essential, high-impact  function  where  cost  control,  operational  efficiency,  and  crew  welfare  must  go hand in hand.

Tilla

Tilla,  founded  in  2021,  is  a  modern  crew  change  management  platform  that  optimizes end-to-end  crew  logistics,  including  flight  booking,  stakeholder  coordination,  and  real-time travel cost optimization. 
Over  a  2-month  pilot  the  impact  was  validated through real operations. Tilla was deployed across  29  EXMAR  vessels,  involving  the  full  crewing  team  and  over  350  active  flight bookings. 


Why now? With  rising  travel  volatility,  soaring  flight  costs,  and  weekend  workload spikes, EXMAR’s  leadership  moved  quickly  to  modernize  crew  changes  —  reducing stress, improving resilience, and regaining cost control.


Before Tilla: Challenges

Before adopting Tilla, EXMAR’s crew change process faced three core issues:

1. Fragmented, manual workflows

Coordinators relied on emails, calls, and spreadsheets, making the process slow, inconsistent, and difficult to scale—especially during weekends or urgent changes.

2. Lack of data-driven decision support

Decisions were made based on experience, without tools to systematically compare travel options or optimize for time and cost.

3. Limited cost visibility

Without real-time flight benchmarking or travel data, EXMAR missed opportunities to reduce OPEX and improve planning.

These challenges consumed valuable team capacity and limited opportunities for efficiency gains, cost control, and service improvement.

The Solution: One Platform for Data-Driven, Optimized Crew Changes

Tilla replaced fragmented tools with a single platform that digitized and streamlined EXMAR’s crew change workflow:

• Centralized control: Coordinators could book, rebook, or cancel flights directly, eliminating delays from third-party responses.
• Automated cost savings: Tilla tracked fare changes in real time, rebooked cheaper flights when possible, benchmarked travel providers, and reduced service fees through self-service booking.
• Full visibility for all stakeholders: From crewing officers to leadership, everyone had consistent, real-time travel data—improving decisions and operational control.

Results & Rollout

• up to 16.7% cost savings per flight
• +5200 hours saved per year

Tilla unlocked 8.2% in direct savings and up to 16.7% with added optimization levers, projected to cut annual OPEX by six figures.

Fleet Personnel Officers saved 5.8 hours per crew change. Travel Plus (in-house travel desk) saved 3.3 hours per crew change.

Looking Ahead

From Pilot to Rollout in Just Two Weeks The pilot’s success confirmed a strong business case for full adoption. With six-figure cost savings, thousands of hours gained, and positive feedback from operations teams, EXMAR completed a full rollout of Tilla across all 40 vessels by May 2025—in just two weeks.

Stronger team experience

“Tilla has completely changed the way we manage crew changes. We’re saving time and money, and our officers finally have the tools and visibility they need to act fast and with confidence.” --Dmitry, Head of Crewing

“Tilla is a perfect example of how digital innovation can simplify operations and drive measurable impact. It’s agile, easy to adopt, and brings value from day one.” --Ivan Renette, Business Operations