For an international maritime organization like Christiania Shipping, reliable information is crucial. From its base in Rotterdam, the company handles the technical management of fifteen ships within a global fleet of approximately fifty vessels. When the Danish parent company decided to standardize the systems within the organization, there was a need for a modern ERP platform that better aligned with Christiania Shipping’s vision for the future.
Together with Alistar, the company chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. What began as a strategic harmonization effort evolved into a significant step toward greater operational efficiency, improved data quality, and a modern SaaS environment.
From a fragmented application landscape to a single, centralized environment
Before the transition, Christiania Shipping used a combination of different systems. The ERP processes ran on ShipNet, supplemented by an OCR solution and a separate Planned Maintenance System (PMS). This environment was hosted in a private cloud and was accessible via remote desktop.
According to outgoing IT Manager Erwin Henstra, this presented a number of challenges.
“Server maintenance often meant downtime. In addition, we regularly ran into limitations regarding global access and management. That no longer fits with how modern organizations want to operate.”
Erwin Henstra – IT Manager at Christiania Shipping
Following an acquisition, the Danish headquarters decided to align the organisation’s IT landscapes more closely. It selected Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central as its future ERP platform.
Choosing Alistar
When selecting an implementation partner, the name Alistar quickly came up. Both the Danish headquarters and Microsoft highlighted the company’s specialized knowledge of the maritime sector.
“It was important to us to work with a partner who not only knows Business Central but also understands how processes work in the maritime industry. We found that combination at Alistar.”
Erwin Henstra – IT Manager at Christiania Shipping
That industry expertise proved to be of great value throughout the project, especially when integrating existing systems and translating maritime processes into the new ERP environment.
The benefits of SaaS become immediately apparent
One of the biggest changes was the transition to a fully cloud-based SaaS solution. This eliminated many of the technical limitations of the old environment. Users can now personalize screens and customize information on their own, without having to rely on technical developers or external consultants. Updates are also significantly easier to implement.
“Whereas updates used to take an entire day, they are now often completed within a few minutes. This provides much greater flexibility and causes less disruption to daily operations.”
Erwin Henstra – IT Manager at Christiania Shipping
During the project, it was also decided to replace the existing OCR and workflow solution with Continia solutions within the Microsoft ecosystem. This reduced the number of interfaces and made the application landscape easier to manage.
The existing Sertica maintenance system was retained. There was a great deal of in-house expertise regarding this solution, and the system is also certified by the classification society RINA.
Master Data as the Foundation for Efficient Work
One of the project's most important outcomes is the improvement in master data quality.
Using the Wormhole synchronization tool, master data only needs to be updated once. It is then automatically synchronized across different companies within the environment.
The benefits of this did not go unnoticed. The Danish headquarters also decided to adopt the solution to gain better control over master data within the organization.
In addition, an integration was developed between Business Central and Sertica, so that master data is automatically exchanged between the two systems. This creates a single source of truth and prevents duplicate data entry.
This provides immediate convenience for end users. Invoices, documentation, and operational information are now centrally available within Business Central, reducing the need for employees to switch between different applications.
Erwin Henstra – IT Manager at Christiania Shipping
A Complex Integration Successfully Completed
At the same time, the integration between Business Central and Sertica turned out to be the project’s biggest challenge.
Due to limited documentation and support from the PMS vendor, various issues had to be resolved step by step. Synchronizing order and delivery statuses, in particular, required a great deal of attention.
A custom solution was also developed to make invoice documents from Business Central immediately available in Sertica. Despite the technical complexity, Christiania Shipping and Alistar succeeded in implementing a stable and functional integration. “It was without a doubt the most challenging part of the project. But it was precisely because we continued to work together to find solutions that we ultimately got where we wanted to be.”
Continuing to Advance Digitalization
Although the implementation is now running successfully, Henstra still sees plenty of opportunities for further optimization.
A next step could be to further consolidate the Business Central environments in Denmark, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. He also sees opportunities to integrate maintenance processes even more closely within the Microsoft platform in the future. In addition, he expects developments such as Starlink and NexusWave to bring about lasting change in the maritime sector.
“Thanks to reliable internet connections at sea, ships are increasingly able to function as fully-fledged offices. As a result, many of the limitations that maritime organizations used to have to contend with are disappearing.”
Erwin Henstra – IT Manager at Christiania Shipping
Advice for Other Maritime Organizations
For Christiania Shipping, the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides a solid foundation for further growth, collaboration, and digital transformation. And it was precisely this combination of technology, industry knowledge, and collaboration that made this project a success for both Christiania Shipping and Alistar. Based on his experiences, Henstra has a clear message for other organizations in the sector.
“Don’t cling to processes just because they’ve always worked that way. Take a critical look at your way of working, determine where you want to go, and choose a partner who understands how your organization works. Then digitization will become not just an IT project, but a means of moving the entire organization forward.”
Erwin Henstra – IT Manager at Christiania Shipping
