No Room for Downtime: How Hafnia Keeps Global Shipping Moving with Sedna
The Client
Hafnia stands as one of the world's largest pool tanker companies, with a substantial global footprint spanning five countries. With headquarters in Copenhagen and additional offices in Singapore, Houston, Monaco and Dubai, the company oversees a workforce of around 5,000 personnel including shipboard staff.
Operating in the demanding maritime industry, Hafnia's business model depends on efficient, reliable communication that runs 24/7/365 with virtually no downtime. The stakes are exceptionally high, as Senior IT Infrastructure Manager Greg Bevan explains: "If communications are down and something happens with one of the tank ships, then Hafnia is not here tomorrow. We could lose a lot of money, a lot of other things could happen environmentally, and ruin the reputation."
The Challenge
With such critical communication needs, Bevan and his team faced mounting pressure as Hafnia's local client-based email system struggled to perform. "Service windows are very short," Bevan noted, highlighting the limited opportunity for maintenance in a round-the-clock operation.
As the system slowed, performance issues began cascading into serious business problems. Response times lagged, integration options with other business systems remained limited, and the on-premise hosting created vulnerabilities that threatened business continuity. The impact rippled across the organisation, with IT spending 75% of their time troubleshooting rather than advancing strategic initiatives.
User frustration reached concerning levels, affecting productivity and even retention. "One user when she left put in her report that the final nail in the coffin was she was just so tired of the system not working properly," Bevan recalled. After nearly two years of trying to optimise their existing system, it became clear that more fundamental change was necessary.
The Solution
Recognising the importance of user buy-in for any successful technology transition, Hafnia undertook a methodical evaluation process that prioritised stakeholder involvement from the start. "We wanted to invite the user groups in from each department so that they had a buy-in on the project from day number one," explained Bevan. This approach ensured the solution would address real user needs while building internal champions for the eventual migration.
After evaluating multiple options, Sedna emerged as the standout choice. The platform's fully cloud-based infrastructure offered the reliability Hafnia required, while seamless integrations with other systems would streamline operations. The consistent performance regardless of data volume and intuitive user experience across all devices made it a natural fit for their global team.
What ultimately sealed the decision wasn't just Sedna's technical capabilities, but the team behind the product. "Alex just blew us away because of the passion he had when telling about the product, how he designed it and everything else," Bevan recalled. This expertise and commitment would prove crucial during implementation.
The Implementation
With their decision made, Hafnia began planning their migration to Sedna. Coincidentally, the company was also undertaking a separate domain name change project. While unrelated to the Sedna implementation, Hafnia decided to schedule both changes simultaneously—a decision that, in retrospect, added significant complexity to the process and one that Bevan acknowledges they would approach differently today.
To prepare their global team, they developed a comprehensive training programme for super-users and communicated the changes through company-wide town halls. Rather than a phased approach, they opted for a complete cutover to drive rapid adoption across multiple departments including operations, chartering, claims, technical and IT.
A key factor in the successful adoption was Sedna's on-site presence during the transition. As one operations team member noted: "The success in this has been the combination of having the teams training where you get a first brief introduction, but also Sedna being here locally on our location whenever needed. The fact that you are here to assist everyone and spend days with us—that's the reason why we have the quick transition."
When an unexpected challenge arose during the overnight migration with approximately 30,000 duplicate messages flooding the system, the true value of their partnership with Sedna became evident. "Our Sedna project manager came on the telephone straight away," Bevan recounted. "They hit the button, everything was stopped, and then a senior Sedna engineer worked his magic." By morning, there were only about 50-100 messages still needing attention, allowing operations to continue without disruption. "Nobody missed a beat. Everyone could carry on working," Bevan confirmed.
The Results
The positive impact of the migration was immediately apparent throughout the organisation. User adoption exceeded expectations, validating Hafnia's inclusive approach to the selection process. "Users are really good at adapting when they know they have to," observed Bevan. The consistent experience across devices proved particularly valuable for their mobile workforce, with Bevan noting, "It works exactly the same on telephone, computer and iPad."
Perhaps most significantly, the move to a cloud-based solution has enhanced Hafnia's disaster recovery capabilities. "If we were attacked, we wouldn't have a way of coming up again and being able to still work. Whereas with you guys now in the cloud, we can just send people to the coffee shop over the road with the Wi-Fi if we haven't got a router, and they can log in and do their basic work," Bevan explained.
User satisfaction became so pronounced that the claims department celebrated their new system by baking a cake—a simple but telling sign of how the right technology can transform daily work experience. Building on this success, Hafnia is now expanding Sedna to additional departments, focusing on groups that collaborate frequently to maximise visibility and efficiency across their operations.
Key Takeaways
Hafnia's experience demonstrates that successful digital transformation hinges on two critical factors: involving the right people from the beginning of the process and selecting partners, not just products. As Bevan reflects, "If we include the right people in the decision process, then you get the buy-in, and if you get the buy-in, you get the backing." This inclusive approach, combined with Sedna's expertise, resulted in what Bevan describes as "one of the easiest implementations we've run because everything has been done and the right people have been there to do the job."
Despite initial concerns about abandoning traditional folder structures, users quickly adapted to Sedna's powerful search capabilities. As one operations team member advised others considering a similar change: "The fact that you can create a search to find a specific email really makes all the old folder systems irrelevant. It's much easier just to have one big archive and then put in your search."
For maritime businesses where communication failures can mean the difference between success and catastrophe, Hafnia's story illustrates how the right technology partner doesn't just solve today's problems—it transforms operational resilience and creates competitive advantage. As vessels continue to move around the globe 24/7, Hafnia now moves with confidence, backed by communication infrastructure that's built for the unique demands of modern shipping.
Ready to Transform Your Communication Infrastructure?
Like Hafnia, your organisation can achieve operational excellence through better communication. Sedna's proven migration process ensures minimal disruption while delivering immediate value.
Contact us today to schedule a demonstration and discuss your specific needs:
Email: sales@sedna.com
Website: www.sedna.com
