Japanese-based shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has entered a deal with Inmarsat partner JSAT MOBILE Communications to use its Fleet Xpress broadband connectivity across the majority of its car carrier fleet.
MOL is an existing customer of Inmarsat that aims to promote smarter and greener shipping operations by migrating to a high-speed broadband connectivity.
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The company has already been certified under the ship energy efficiency management plan (SEEMP), which is the emissions scheme of International Maritime Organisation to size the impact of technical innovations on ship efficiency.
Inmarsat maritime chief sales officer Gerbrand Schalkwijk said: “Owners have been eagerly awaiting fully integrated connectivity between ship and shore that delivers an unprecedented scale of redundancy and seamless service virtually everywhere on the planet.
“Fleet Xpress is the first global maritime, high-speed broadband service from a single network operator. High-speed, ultra-reliable connectivity will transform the maritime industry by putting big data at the heart of operating decisions and cost-controlled connectivity in the hands of seafarers.”
MOL will introduce the Fleet Xpress service on board its selected carriers, along with its scheduled vessel drydockings.
Once deployed, Fleet Xpress will connect MOL ships to landside offices via VPN.
The newly launched Fleet Xpress service is Inmarsat’s high-speed, broadband maritime communications service, powered by Global Xpress (GX).
So far, more than 5,000 vessels have committed to the Fleet Xpress service.
Inmarsat further plans to transit more than 2,600 existing XpressLink installations, as well as convert its substantial committed XpressLink backlog to Fleet Xpress over the next three years.
Image: MOL to switch on board connectivity to Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service. Photo: courtesy of Inmarsat plc.
