Starlink Internet Service Connects Container Ships to the Web
Elon Musk’s satellite internet service is expanding further into the high seas, which have long been recognized as one of the world’s oldest and largest economic frontiers.
Hapag-Lloyd AG, Germany’s largest container shipping company, announced Thursday that it will install SpaceX’s Starlink service on ships it owns and operates after a four-ship pilot program proved successful. Charters will not receive service under the current plan. According to Alphaliner’s data, 122 of Hapag-Lloyd’s 259 ships are owned by the company.
For crews spending months at sea, a reliable ship connection is a luxury, if available at all, which in part depends on the proximity of land networks. During the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, seafarers’ sense of isolation only increased as they stayed on the job for months after their contracts ended, as global trade in goods accelerated and border restrictions made it difficult to return home.
Hapag-Lloyd said in a statement that “high-speed satellite internet has revolutionized communications for seafarers, enabling seamless video calls and streaming services.”
Maximilian Rothkopf, chief operating officer of Hapag-Lloyd, added that the connections “improve their well-being on board”.
The next stages of the implementation are ordering additional equipment and installing antennas by the end of the year and activating the service at the beginning of 2024.
According to the Hamburg-based operator, the capacity of the broadband network is up to 250 megabits per second. This will facilitate “not only private use, but also enable Hapag-Lloyd to perform remote maintenance and ship inspections,” the company said.
