Tilla Technologies GmbH Review: Crew changes, minus the chaos

ShipUniverse quick contact

Tilla’s pitch is simple: crew changes are one of the most email-heavy, error-prone parts of ship operations, and those small misses turn into real costs fast. Their platform is built to centralize the moving parts (voyage context, crew data, travel requirements, approvals, and coordination) so crew mobility becomes more predictable and less dependent on heroic coordination at the last minute.

Tilla Technologies GmbH: Location
Hauptstraße 151, 10827 Berlin, Germany
Shipowners save by:
Crew changes usually fail in the gaps between systems: voyage shifts, document timing, visa rules, flight changes, and handoffs between crewing, agents, and travel. Tilla is positioned as a coordination layer that keeps those dependencies visible and actionable in one workflow.
  • Reducing avoidable travel costs: fewer last-minute changes driven by missing documents, unclear approvals, or timing mismatches can mean fewer rebook fees, no-shows, and premium last-minute fares.
  • Cutting admin churn: consolidating crew change planning, documents, and status updates in one place reduces the back-and-forth across email threads and spreadsheets.
  • Lowering disruption risk at the vessel: clearer readiness signals (who is cleared, who is not, what is missing) helps avoid “crew not arrived” scenarios that ripple into delays and port complications.
  • Fewer compliance misses: integrating visa and travel requirement checks into the workflow helps reduce surprises that can block embarkation or force costly reroutes.
  • Smoother coordination with third parties: when port agents and travel partners operate from the same plan and timestamps, handoffs become more predictable and less dependent on tribal knowledge.
  • Better post-event visibility: a clean record of what happened, when, and why supports audit needs and helps operations teams identify repeat failure modes across fleets and trades.
Notes: This is a practical, client-perspective summary of the value proposition. Your realized savings depend on current crew change volume, travel patterns, and how consistently the workflow is adopted across parties.
Notable mentions and traction
A few external signals that Tilla is moving from “nice idea” into real operations, real fleets, and real investment attention.
  • €2M funding round to scale crew logistics platform MarineLink / Tech.eu / Seatrade • 2025
    Multiple outlets reported Tilla closed a €2 million round led by Motion Ventures, including a strategic investment from EXMAR. Coverage: MarineLink, Tech.eu, Seatrade Maritime.
  • Ship manager rollout: Stödig Ship Management The Maritime Executive • 2024
    The Maritime Executive reported on Stödig Ship Management using Tilla’s crew change platform, describing it as a workflow to plan, act, monitor, and optimize crew changes using integrated data (vessel schedules, crewing data, port agency inputs, flight data, and travel requirements). Article: Stödig Ship Management optimizes crew changes with Tilla .
  • Fleet adoption: Wilson expands use Tilla / Flagship Founders • 2025
    Tilla and Flagship Founders posted that Wilson adopted the platform after prior usage via Stödig Ship Management, framing outcomes in cost savings, productivity, and user satisfaction. Posts: Tilla post, Flagship Founders.
  • Operator adoption: Seatrade uses Tilla for crew change automation Smart Maritime Network / Flagship Founders • 2025
    Smart Maritime Network and Flagship Founders reported Seatrade adopted Tilla to plan and execute crew changes, including references to integrations with travel agencies and existing crew management systems. Coverage: Smart Maritime Network, Flagship Founders.
  • Conference visibility: crew change digitization pitch (Posidonia) Posidonia • 2022
    Posidonia’s exhibitor press page described Tilla’s focus on digitizing crew change planning and booking, positioning the platform around consolidating stakeholders and reducing processing and travel costs. Page: Posidonia exhibitor press note .
These are “proof of motion” signals. The real test is what happens in your lanes: travel spend, rebook frequency, document readiness, and how cleanly port agents and travel partners follow the same plan.
Crew Change Savings Estimator (planning tool)
This estimates value from fewer rebooks and premium fares, lower admin time, and fewer “day-of-change surprises.” It’s a planning worksheet, not a guarantee. Replace defaults with your real travel and crewing data.
Rebook / disruption costs (optional)
Delay exposure (optional)
Travel savings (annual)
$0
Admin savings (annual)
$0
Disruption savings (annual)
$0
Net benefit after cost
$0
CategoryValue
Total crew changes (annual)0
Baseline travel spend$0
Baseline admin cost$0
Estimated rebook costs (baseline)$0
Estimated delay exposure (baseline)$0
Annual platform cost$0
Payback (months)
Use your actual invoices, rebook logs, and delay root causes.
Tip: if you don’t know your “rebook rate,” start with the last 3–6 months. Count how many crew changes had ticket changes, no-shows, or document-driven reroutes, and use that as your baseline.

Crew changes are one of those operational areas where “small” friction becomes real money: rebooks, document surprises, missed handoffs, and endless back-and-forth that burns time across crewing, travel, and port partners. Tilla is interesting because it’s trying to turn that chaos into a shared plan with measurable outcomes, so you can standardize how crew moves across a fleet instead of relying on individual coordinators to hold everything together.

We welcome your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas for enhancements. Please click here to get in touch.
By the ShipUniverse Editorial Team — About Us | Contact