Equinox Maritime, a prominent bulk carrier operator established in Athens in 2001, has recently transformed its fleet’s connectivity by integrating Starlink’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) service.
The company’s IT Manager, Thodoris Efstathiou discusses the rollout of Starlink’s LEO service across his fleet.
We have worked with Navarino for several years and we use their Fleet Xpress services on some of our vessels, in combination with Infinity. About half a year ago we decided to upgrade the connectivity options across the fleet with Starlink, and for that we are using Navarino exclusively.
..he said.
Starlink, an initiative by SpaceX, aims to establish a worldwide broadband network using a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to deliver high-speed internet services. SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is a privately owned company founded by Elon Musk in 2002, specializing in rockets and spacecraft.
“I can definitely say that Starlink has been a real game changer for both our business and crew communications. We are currently using the 50 GB plan and are considering moving up to the 250 GB plan in future”, Thodoris Efstathiou said.
Thanks to its very high speed and low latency, Starlink has enabled many new ways of working with their vessels. For example, they are now able to support and deploy software completely remotely, and when needed they have high quality video calls with our seafarers, as if they were on a terrestrial network.
Our crews and their welfare is an absolute priority for Equinox Maritime, and I am delighted to say that Starlink has really helped to exponentially improve their connection with their loved ones. We provide them with a set amount of data for free each month, and the feedback we have received from our vessels about using Starlink has been very positive.
…he added.
Besides the big change in speed and latency versus VSAT, Starlink also provides coverage in areas where our ships could previously experience some coverage gaps – for example in the very South Atlantic and South Pacific. However, as there are also currently areas where Starlink use is not allowed, I feel it is important for ship operators to keep other networks such as VSAT or L Band in combination with Starlink in order to maintain connectivity with vessels at all times.’
Internet connectivity is a necessary pathway to wellness at sea, as revealed by the 2023 SEAFiT Crew Survey. Thus, all stakeholders and seafarers are encouraged to sign the SAFETY4SEA petition and participate in the conversation on social media using the hashtag #Sign4FreeInternetOnboard.
