Mintra, a global leader in digital learning and competence solutions for safety-critical industries, has been shortlisted in two categories at the 2026 SAFETY4SEA Awards.
The company has been recognised for its AI-powered solution, Mentor AI, in the Technology and Innovation Award, while its SQLearn team has been shortlisted for the Training Award.
The dual recognition marks a significant milestone for Mintra in 2026, highlighting the company’s role across both sides of maritime competence: trusted training and applied technology. Together, the nominations reflect Mintra’s focus on helping maritime organisations develop their people, support safer decisions and strengthen operational performance.
In the Training Award category, the SQLearn team has been shortlisted for its wide range of online courses designed for different ranks and vessel types. The submission included the new joint training proposition with Mintra, combining Mintra’s global scale and proven systems with SQLearn’s specialist maritime knowledge and practical training solutions.
The nomination follows SQLearn’s win in the same category at the 2025 SAFETY4SEA Awards. Being shortlisted again in 2026 reflects the team’s ongoing commitment to supporting seafarers throughout their careers.
“Being shortlisted again for the SAFETY4SEA Training Award is a strong recognition of the SQLearn team’s commitment to practical, high-quality maritime training,” said Spyros Goumas, CEO at SQLearn. “As part of Mintra, we now have the opportunity to combine specialist maritime knowledge with greater scale, technology and reach. That strengthens how we support seafarers and operators with learning that is relevant, accessible and built around the realities of life at sea.”
The Technology and Innovation Award recognises organisations that have delivered a significant technological achievement, breakthrough innovation, or made a substantial contribution to improving maritime safety. Mintra’s Mentor AI has been recognised for transforming how safety-critical knowledge is accessed and applied at sea, helping seafarers make faster, more confident decisions when it matters most.
In maritime operations, uncertainty at the point of decision-making can create significant risk. When crew need answers quickly, they may rely on memory, informal advice, manuals, search engines, or public AI tools, creating the potential for inconsistent, inaccurate, or unverified information.
Mentor AI addresses this challenge by providing instant access to trusted operational guidance through a fully closed AI-powered system. Trained exclusively on Mintra’s extensive library of more than 400 verified safety and compliance courses, the solution can also be extended with an organisation’s own procedures and documentation.
This ensures the crew have access to accurate, approved information at the moment of need, supporting safer and more consistent decision-making across vessels and teams. By removing reliance on external or unverified sources, Mentor AI delivers responses that are accurate, auditable and aligned with company and regulatory standards.
“We are incredibly proud that Mentor AI has been recognised as a finalist for the Safety4Sea Innovation Award,” said Siren Berge, Chief Technology Officer at Mintra. “This recognition reflects our commitment to using technology to solve real challenges in maritime operations. AI has enormous potential, but its value comes from applying it in a way that is trusted, controlled, and focused on improving safety. Mentor AI demonstrates how innovation can support seafarers by ensuring they have access to reliable knowledge when and where they need it.”
“Maritime safety depends on people having the right knowledge at the right time,” said Paul Munro, Innovation Director at Mintra. “Mentor AI was developed to remove uncertainty from safety-critical decisions by bringing trusted knowledge directly into the workflow of seafarers. It does not replace training; it extends its impact into real-world situations, helping people apply what they know when it matters most.”
The solution delivers instant, scalable access to trusted operational knowledge and safety-critical information, providing practical benefits for operators and crew. It reduces reliance on manual searches and informal guidance, increasing confidence when making safety-critical decisions, and supporting more consistent knowledge application across vessels and locations. It also helps accelerate onboarding and competence development.
Designed to integrate into the flow of work, Mentor AI is accessible via desktop, tablet and smartphone, allowing crew to ask questions in the moment and act immediately. Responses are supported by dynamic citations linking back to approved training materials, reinforcing confidence and compliance.
Early feedback from companies trialling Mentor AI has highlighted its value, particularly in unfamiliar or infrequent scenarios where uncertainty can increase risk. Users have described it as “having an expert beside me at all times,” while others have highlighted the confidence that comes from knowing the answers are based on trusted Mintra content.
Mentor AI demonstrates how carefully applied technology can strengthen human decision-making by connecting learning with real-world application. By reinforcing knowledge at the point of need, it supports correct execution, improves retention, and helps reduce operational risk.
The 2026 SAFETY4SEA Awards shortlist recognises Mintra’s contribution to the future of maritime safety across both training and technology, and the role trusted competence solutions can play in supporting safer operations at sea.
The deadline for the open vote is Friday, 17 July. The winners will be announced at the SAFETY4SEA Awards ceremony on 7 October 2026.
Source: cyprusshippingnews.com
