Costamare has agreed a deal with its satcom provider Navarino to implement the Starlink satellite connectivity system aboard four vessels to trial the service, the companies have announced.
The Greek vessel operator manages a fleet of 70 container ships and 45 dry bulk carriers, and will use the Starlink trial as an opportunity to assess how the company may be able to benefit from greater access to data and online services.
“Starlink has a lot of potential for us. With its very high speeds and low latency it could enable completely new ways of working in terms of the technological tools we can implement across our fleet – to benefit our business operations, our crews’ welfare, as well as the compliance needs of our fleet,” said Themis Sardis, Head of IT for Costamare.
“We pride ourselves on routinely testing new tools and advanced solutions that may give our company an edge, and of course which can contribute positively to the well-being and safety of our seafarers onboard.”
“Starlink is the latest such solution, and having worked with Navarino on several advanced projects over the years we know that they can be trusted to design, implement and support innovative projects such as these with us. This is why we are excited to be taking the next step in our fleets’ technological development together with them.”
The new service will be deployed as part of a hybrid connectivity setup onboard, adding the new LEO (low earth orbit) Starlink service alongside the existing legacy geostationary satellite platforms used by the ships.
