Hong Kong-based containership owner Seaspan Corporation revealed that it has become the first major owner/operator of containerships to equip its entire fleet with Starlink’s low-latency, and high-bandwidth service.
Seaspan Corporation’s announcement of its partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink comes at a critical juncture, highlighting the increasing significance of online communication aboard ships.
Onboard communication plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety, efficiency, and well-being of ships and their crews. It enhances situational awareness, facilitates timely decision-making, and plays a massive role in the mental well-being of the crews as onboard internet connection facilitates communication with families, access to news and entertainment, and maintains a sense of normalcy.
The duo launched cooperation back in 2021 and Seaspan was an early user of the maritime flat panel antenna mount kit, and confirmed the technology would meet the unique needs of containership marine operations.
Building on a successful trial period during 2022, Seaspan has now moved to integrate this advanced technology across its entire fleet.
“This collaboration with SpaceX Starlink supports Seaspan’s strategic vision of treating any vessel no differently than a remote office from an IT Services and Support provision perspective,” said Chris Sepp , Vice President of Information Technology at Seaspan.
“The low Earth orbit, low latency, high bandwidth service provided by SpaceX’s Starlink allows us to deliver on this vision and our commitment to our crew, as well as their safety and comfort onboard our vessels.”
The decision to roll out this technology across Seaspan’s entire fleet has been greatly influenced by the positive feedback received from Seaspan’s seafarers during the initial deployments, the company said.
“We are deploying management and cyber risk tools and technologies so we can more effectively and efficiently support our growing vessel fleet at scale, ” Sepp added.
“Crew feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Integrating this technology is a core foundational pillar of our Digital Strategy.”