Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) transport group Petredec has extended its connectivity contract with Inmarsat to add new crew services, after a consultation process with its seafarers highlighted the need for greater personal access to online services onboard.
A new extension to the company’s Fleet Xpress contract will see the Fleet Hotspot internet portal service added to Petredec vessels, designed to give those onboard private access to connectivity on their own devices on a separate channel from the ship’s operational bandwidth.
Based on feedback from an initial pilot Fleet Hotspot installation, the company is fast-tracking the adoption of the crew portal fleet-wide. On completion, all 37 owned Petredec ships will be equipped with Fleet Hotspot, supported by the dual Fleet Xpress antennas on board.
The LPG carrier operator recently renewed its Fleet Xpress service agreement across 27 operational ships and extended it to 10 newbuilds. Part of the renewal also saw the Singapore-based owner commit to Inmarsat’s Fleet Care maintenance, repair, and support service, and the Fleet Data IoT platform for data collection, transfer, storage, and analysis.
“The powerful moral case for ensuring crews can stay in touch with friends, family, and the outside world has been laid bare during Covid-19, but there is also a direct link between crew happiness and retention of the best crews,” said Neil Giles, Fleet Technical Manager Petredec.
“It’s a link that results in safer operations onboard multi-million dollar assets, greater vessel efficiency, and business competitiveness.”
