With an ageing demographic and predictions of crew shortages by 2026, crew welfare has become increasingly important. Recognising the significant benefit of crew connectivity to seafarers’ health and well-being, stakeholders in the global shipping industry have recently adopted new amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006), which aim to improve onboard living and working conditions. “Access to crew welfare is no longer limited to VSAT-equipped vessels. There are a lot of affordable and compact solutions, powered by L-band, to match requirements of small and mid-sized boats,” says Gwenaël Loheac, President – Europe and West Africa at the IEC Telecom Group. The key to successfully providing crew communications is segregating this connectivity aspect from critical vessel systems. The OneGate network management system by IEC Telecom offers a solution for this challenge. The need for enhanced crew welfare has also spurred the development of specialised applications optimised for L-band. In particular, video conferencing is the driving force behind a whole new range of smart services, including telemedicine, e-learning, and remote maintenance. Read more about innovative and affordable satcom services in the article below.
