Our team of maritime and nearshore connectivity experts at Telecom26 are preparing for this year’s World Maritime Day which will be celebrated on 30 September. This annual event is spearheaded by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to focus attention on the importance of shipping and other maritime activities.
This year the IMO is aiming to increase the visibility of seafarers by drawing attention to the invaluable role they played before, during and post-COVID as key workers for global supply chains. COVID placed “extraordinary demands on seafarers, with hundreds of thousands of men and women stranded on ships for months beyond their original contracts, unable to be repatriated due to national travel restrictions. A similar number of seafarers are unable to join ships and earn a living”.
The IMO will address “other issues related to the human element of shipping, including the safety and security of life on board ships, seafarers' well-being, and the importance of ensuring an appropriately trained and qualified workforce, ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of digitalization and automation”.
On 30 September the IMO will host a live webinar exploring the theme "Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future". In addition to hearing from Secretary General Kitack Lim, attendees will hear from four seafarers on the following topics: diversity, safety, crew change and the environment.
Telecom26’s Maritime Connectivity Services
We are a maritime mobile operator and providing always-available voice and data connectivity for vessels of all shapes and sizes is one of Telecom26’s core services.
Whether it’s a ship travelling from China to Europe laden with containers, or a sunny Sunday on a yacht, our Global Roaming Service - which uses maritime cellular communications - is all that’s needed to stay connected.
And, of course, for the seafarers whose role the IMO is highlighting, the ability to stay in touch with their friends and family, as well as communicate effectively with colleagues who are onshore, is vital for their mental well-being.
Telecom26’s “Near-to- Shore” Global SIM Service
At the end of last year, we launched a new data-only service - Near-To-Shore - which provides access to land-based cellular networks.
The response from the shipping industry has been phenomenal and we are now providing service to all type of vessels, from the most luxurious of yachts to fishing vessels to oil tankers, bulk carriers and container ships - with surging data volumes.
The size of the vehicles, their cargo and the number of seafarers might be widely different but they have a few things in common. They are tired of exorbitant roaming charges. Tired of having to change SIMs/switch phones when they crossed borders. Tired of patchy service. Tired of multiple bills from different providers.
Our Global SIMs provide a very simple way to provide data to all onboard devices via cellular data links. By onboard devices we mean Wi-Fi routers, container sensors, IoT networks and any system process that needs to connect to the internet, to a remote server or monitor.
Our SIMs can be inserted into any GSM (2G, 3G, 4G and future 5G) router, which we can also supply, as required.
Most importantly, only a single SIM is required – there is no need to swap SIMs when moving between different regions and countries.
Our SIMs can access any terrestrial network. Not all networks are equally available – some offer better coverage in some locations than others. And, every country has its own range of terrestrial network operators. This means that, as a vessel moves along the coast, different networks may be available.
Because Near-to-Shore SIMs can connect to any of these, coverage can be maintained. This applies as vessels cross international borders. So, as a container ship travels across Asia or a yacht moves from one Caribbean island to another, devices and routers can hop between different networks with ease – and will benefit from the bundle pricing we offer. This means there’s no need to worry about the hidden costs of global roaming.
Our new paper - Nearshore Services A short guide to nearshore cellular services - can be downloaded here.
And, if you’d like to discuss how our maritime connectivity and maritime cellular communications services can support ship to shore data services, as well as crew welfare while at sea through our cellular at sea solutions, then please get in touch.
