Case study: Mitsubishi Ore transport
Seafarers continue to work tirelessly to ensure the global supply of goods and services even when times are tough. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, several high-profile incidents have drawn attention to the difficulties facing seafarers, with the infamous crew-change crisis depriving shipboard personnel of timely shore leave and repatriation.
Many vessel owners and managers have responded by investing in better connectivity for crew and offering access to digital services such as 24-hour helplines.
At Inmarsat, it has been our mission to support the safety, welfare, and mental wellbeing of millions of seafarers at work across the world's oceans every day. In our experience, early adopters of IoT-based solutions quickly see the benefit of measurable performance gains whilst the commitment to crew welfare boosts morale.
We are digitally connected in almost every aspect of our lives – from how we communicate and share information to how we purchase goods and conduct personal banking. It is therefore no surprise that in Inmarsat’s 2022 Seafarers in the Digital Age report, 92% of seafarers surveyed said that the internet strongly influences their decision of where to work.
Encouragingly, the shipping industry has made significant progress in this area. The amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) introduced in May 2022, made it mandatory to provide seafarers with internet access at sea.
At Inmarsat we ensure that seafarers do not have to put their lives on hold while at sea – being digitally connected is no longer a luxury, it is a human right. With our award-winning Fleet Hotspot solution, which is powered by our state-of-the-art Fleet Xpress service, crew can access high-speed connectivity with the freedom to use their own device.
Fleet Hotspot is completely independent of the vessel’s bandwidth, so vessel owners and operators are assured of uninterrupted connection to high-speed, always-on, business-critical bandwidth, with unlimited backup and 99.9% availability.
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Petredec, a longstanding Inmarsat customer, is committed to the highest standards of crew connectivity.
Based on feedback from a pilot Fleet Hotspot installation, Petredec fast-tracked the adoption of the crew portal fleet wide. On completion, Petredec ships will be equipped with our award-winning Fleet Hotspot service, supported by the dual Fleet Xpress antennas on board.
“There is a direct link between crew happiness and retention of the best crews. It’s a link that results in safer operations onboard multi-million-dollar assets, greater vessel efficiency, and business competitiveness.” - Neil Giles, Chief Technical Officer Petredec
The company is in the vanguard of shipping’s digitalisation journey and leverages technology to realise goals on safety, the environment, efficiency, and crew welfare.
Centred around digitalisation, decarbonisation, and crew welfare, Anglo-Eastern’s operations rely on robust connectivity and a forward-thinking approach. They have been using our Fleet Xpress solution to meet the fast-evolving requirements of modern shipping since 2019.
The company doubled the free internet allowance for its crew in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, on the ‘Day of the Seafarer’ and festive occasions, Anglo-Eastern increases the allowance.
“One of our main objectives is to improve the quality of life at sea – and since onboard connectivity is an essential part of that, we aim to provide the crew with a quality of internet similar to what they would have on land. That is why, through Inmarsat’s Fleet Hotspot, we offer our seafarers free high-speed internet connectivity per month.”
- Cpt. Pradeep Chawla, Managing Director QHSE and Training, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management
