Mainstay and Marine Data Hub Integration
A Guide to the Changes
Introducing Marine Data Hub
Following the release of Version 8.0 in May 2025, all external messaging in Mainstay Pro will be handled through Marine Data Hub (“Hub“).
Hub is designed to provide a centralised, digital platform for communications and data sharing across all sectors of the Maritime Industry.
In the development of Version 8.0 of Mainstay Pro, we have endeavoured to avoid any disruption to customers and, as such, the observable user interface changes are minimal and serve only to improve customer experience.
To support a smooth transition, we’ve answered some frequently asked questions below. These cover what’s changing, why it’s happening and how it may affect the way you use Mainstay Pro.
Why Change? Understanding the Decision to Integrate With Hub
We’re committed to technical excellence and customer satisfaction. With deep roots in shipping, we’re passionate about solving the industry’s real-world technical challenges.
For too long, the shipping industry has struggled with fragmented communication and a lack of standardisation in how information is shared and stored. We believe Marine Data Hub offers a practical solution – enabling organisations across the maritime sector to manage and share data in a consistent, controlled way.
Hub has significant potential to improve communication between our customers and their partners. As it continues to evolve, we’ll be integrating more of its capabilities into Mainstay to further enhance its value.
What’s Changing? From One-Off Messages to Ongoing Dialogues
Until now, Mainstay messaging has operated on a transactional basis, where a Charterer sends an information request to a Ship Operator via an email link, and the Ship Operator responds with a one-off submission. Any further communication on the same charter has required separate messages and new links to be issued by the Charterer.
For greater flexibility and improved communication, Mainstay is now moving away from this limited system of Hub Messages to a more flexible and interactive approach – Hub Dialogues. This new model allows for unlimited two-way communication between multiple parties, all centralised within the Marine Data Hub platform and fully integrated within Mainstay.
What Changes Will I Notice? Where to Find Messages – New and Old
External messages created before this change will now appear as Legacy Hub Messages in Mainstay and can still be accessed from the left-hand sidebar menu. Any open messages can still be completed from the same location.
From now on, all new external communications will be created as Hub Dialogues, which can be found in the Marine Data Hub section of the sidebar menu. Additional Hub features will also be available from this area, giving users a central location to manage communications and collaboration more effectively.
Once any open Legacy Hub Messages have been completed in Mainstay, they will be moved to the Dialogues section within the Marine Data Hub area. From there, all Legacy Hub Messages will remain permanently accessible, including their full content, reports and any associated documents.
Responding to Hub Information Requests
An important change for Ship Operators is that they’ll now have two options for responding to Information Requests from Charterers:
Email Participants
By remaining an Email Participant, the Ship Operator will receive Information Requests via email link and can continue contributing until the Charterer marks the Dialogue as Completed.
However, once the Dialogue is marked as Completed by the Dialogue owner, access for Email Participants will end. They will no longer be able to view or return to the Dialogue or its documents.
Charterers can add as many Participants as needed, remove them once their input is complete, and bring in others as the Dialogue progresses.
Dialogues can be marked as Completed by the owner once all requested information has been received, but can also be re-opened later if more details are required.
Hub Member Participants
Registering as a full Hub Member Participant, Ship Operators will receive their own Hub account and and no longer need to rely on access via an email link.
They’ll also gain full access to the benefits of the free-to-use Marine Data Hub platform, including:
Access to a full history of past Dialogues, including reports and documents – even those originally joined as an Email Participant
The ability to proactively create and share Dialogues, reports and documentation with your chartering partners
The option to maintain document libraries within Hub for easy reference and sharing with one or more partners
Whether a Ship Operator is an Email Participant or a Hub Member Participant has no impact on the Charterer. Both types can be added to the a Dialogue.
Summary of Details of Change for Mainstay Customers
No further action is required on your part
Once version 8 has been deployed, a member of our team will be in touch to schedule your Mainstay integration with Marine Data Hub and provide any training materials you may need.
For a full overview of Hub, what’s changing, and what it means for Mainstay users, read: