Dear valued customers,

With the upcoming release of version 2026.8, IMECS proudly introduces IMECS Crew Star – a new module that brings professional crew management directly into the IMECS BLUE platform. From competence monitoring to rest hour compliance, IMECS Crew Star supports shipping companies and crewing agencies in keeping their most valuable asset – their people – safe, compliant, and well organised.

Built Together with the Market

IMECS Crew Star follows a simple conviction: the best crewing software is built together with the people who use it. The module is being developed in close cooperation with world-renowned customers from the ship management business and leading crewing agencies – and this cooperation is open to everyone: every customer and every interested party is invited to take part and help shape the future of IMECS Crew Star.

Independent. Self-Financed. Committed Only to Our Customers.

This is a true partnership with the market – made possible by something that has become rare in the software industry: IMECS is entirely self-financed. No investors, no outside agendas, no dependencies. Our only commitment is to our customers. And IMECS Crew Star remains a genuine, independent IMECS product – fully integrated into IMECS BLUE, sharing one database, one user experience, and one workflow approval concept with all other IMECS modules. No interfaces, no double entry.

Engineered for Speed

And it is fast. Every action in IMECS Crew Star completes in under one second – around 100 milliseconds on average. Because crewing work should never have to wait for software.

One Marine ERP. One Decisive Advantage.

And IMECS Crew Star goes one step further: as part of IMECS BLUE, it is directly connected to the type-approved IMECS Planned Maintenance System – so crewing and technical management finally speak the same language. And there is more ahead: with IVY.AI, our AI assistant, artificial intelligence will soon support your crewing team as well.

Also Available as a Standalone Solution

IMECS Crew Star adapts to your organisation – not the other way around. Use it as part of the complete IMECS BLUE marine ERP, or run it as a standalone crewing solution: crewing agencies, for example, can manage their entire crew pool, planning, and compliance with IMECS Crew Star alone – and connect further IMECS modules whenever they are ready.

1. Available with Version 2026.8

1.1 Dashboard

  • Fleet-wide competence monitoring – see at a glance which qualifications are in place and where action is needed
  • Safe manning control – continuous verification of crew planning against the safe manning requirements of every vessel and station
  • Work and rest hour evaluation across the fleet, directly on the dashboard
  • Approval of received appraisal reports – review and approve incoming appraisals directly from the dashboard

1.2 Seafarer Data (IMECS: HR Data)

  • Complete seafarer master data – personal details, travel documents, and next-of-kin information in one central record
  • Certificates and competence management (IMECS: Abilities & Competences) – all licences, certificates, and qualifications with document storage and automatic expiry monitoring
  • Employment and contract management (IMECS: Employments) – internal, external, and long-term employments with contract periods, terms, and all related documents, including Seafarer Employment Agreements (SEA) and the assignment of wage scales and CBAs

1.3 Crew List

  • Live crew list – the current crew on board of each vessel, including the planned reliever for every position
  • Historical and future views – the exact crew state for any selected date range, ideal for audits and reporting
  • IMO FAL Form 5 – crew list output in the latest format of the IMO FAL Convention, ready for submission to ports and authorities

1.4 Crew Planning

  • Integrated graphical Gantt scheduler for intuitive, visual crew planning across the entire fleet
  • Recurrent rotation planning – plan predictable rotations once, and let IMECS Crew Star roll them forward
  • Document compliance checks – verification that every seafarer holds the documents required for the planned position and period
  • Availability overview – all available seafarers with their experience and competences, ready for the next assignment
  • Compliance with the OCIMF Officer Experience Matrix (Tanker Matrix)
  • Fully integrated planning workflow approvals for compliant, transparent decision-making

1.5 Integration with the IMECS Planned Maintenance System

This is where a complete marine ERP makes the difference: IMECS Crew Star is directly integrated with the type-approved IMECS Planned Maintenance System – a connection that stand-alone crewing solutions simply cannot offer.

  • The crewing department sees exactly which qualification is required – for which vessel, in which period, and for which maintenance or task
  • Crew planning with technical foresight – ensure that the right competences are on board exactly when the technical department needs them
  • One platform, zero interfaces – maintenance planning and crew planning work on the same live data

1.6 Work & Rest Hours

  • Onboard recording of working hours for each seafarer, with automatic notification of the responsible person ashore whenever hours are not compliant with the ILO/MLC and OPA 90 rest hour regulations
  • Table of Shipboard Working Arrangements – the mandatory MLC/STCW watch schedule at the press of a button: service at sea and in port plus the applicable rest hour limits for every position, in the standardised format, ready to be posted on board for Port State Control
  • Overtime calculation taking individual tariff models and accrued leave days into account – ready for seamless payroll takeover

1.7 Crew Change

  • Planning of crew changes at specific ports and locations
  • Fully integrated crew change workflow approvals
  • Automatic information of vessel, crew, owner, and agents with all crew change details
  • Collection of all crew change costs for full cost transparency

1.8 Appraisals (IMECS: Performance Reports)

  • Fully configurable rating sheets and appraisal forms – tailor the evaluation criteria to your company’s standards, ranks, and departments
  • Configurable approval workflows – from the assessor on board to the final review ashore
  • Complete appraisal history per seafarer – a reliable basis for promotion and re-employment decisions

1.9 Medical Reporting

  • Structured handling of injuries and illnesses on board
  • P&I documentation prepared exactly where it is needed

2. On the Roadmap – Already in Active Development

IMECS Crew Star will grow with every release. Together with our development partners from the shipping and crewing industry, our team is already working on the next expansion stages:

  • AI – the IMECS AI assistant – bringing artificial intelligence into daily crewing work: ask questions about your crewing data in plain language, let IVY.AI read incoming certificates and file them automatically, receive intelligent crew proposals for open positions based on qualifications, experience, and appraisal history, create custom statistics and reports simply by describing what you need, and get early warnings on compliance risks – always as a suggestion for your approval, never acting on its own
  • Recruitment & Applicant Tracking (IMECS: Evaluation of Applicants) – candidate pool, structured applicant evaluation, and a smooth path from application to first employment
  • Travel Management – handling of all travel arrangements for crew changes, including flights, transfers, and visa and travel document control – with real-time cost benchmarking for transparent, data-driven travel decisions
  • Payroll – monthly earnings and deductions, flexible payment rules such as leave pay and rejoining bonuses, automatic takeover of evaluated overtime, allotments, wage slips, payment preparation for seafarers, agencies, and institutions, and monthly financial journals – all with fully integrated workflow approvals
  • Master’s General Account (IMECS: Cashbox) – multi-currency cash accounts on board, Slop Chest handling with automatic payroll deduction, cost handling for owners and charterers, and comprehensive overview printouts
  • Trainings – planning and tracking of training measures for the targeted development of every seafarer
  • Agency support – principal billing for crewing agencies, including fees and CBA-driven cost calculation
  • KPI – evaluation of retention rates, promotions, and crew on board, based on the BIMCO KPI standard
  • Crew Self-Service Mobile App (IMECS: HR Mobile App) – giving every seafarer access to their own documents, employments, appraisal reports, and travel information – including the upload of new and renewed documents and the option to re-apply for the next assignment directly from the app

3. Easy to Start – We Take Care of the Rest

Switching crewing systems should never be a project you fear. With IMECS Crew Star, getting started is refreshingly simple:

IMECS Crew Star also carries a legacy forward: the original architect of the well-known Buss Data CrewSTAR is part of the IMECS team today and helps shape the new module – and IMECS already supports existing CrewSTAR customers. For them, IMECS Crew Star is the natural next step, with proven migration paths ready to go.

  • Proven migration paths – from Buss Data CrewStar and many other crewing solutions, we bring your existing data safely into IMECS Crew Star
  • Hosted and set up by IMECS – we host your instance and handle the complete setup for you; no infrastructure, no installation, no IT project on your side
  • Two free training sessions – so your team is productive from day one
  • 24/7 support from Germany – reachable around the clock, with a response within one day

4. One Platform. One Crew. One Solution.

IMECS Crew Star arrives with IMECS BLUE version 2026.8, officially releasing in early September 2026 – available as part of the platform or as a standalone solution for companies that want to start with crewing alone. Existing customers can then simply add the module to their subscription – no installation required, IMECS Crew Star appears seamlessly within their familiar IMECS BLUE environment.

Would you like to see IMECS Crew Star in action? Contact us at info@imecs.de – we will be happy to arrange a personal live demonstration.

Your IMECS-Team.

 

Image: AI generated

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