Recognizing the need to keep crew connected to home, family, and popular culture, innovative fleets such as TMS Gas Cardiff of the UK, Nereus Shipping SA in Greece, Tomini Transports LLC in Dubai, and GFS Fleet Management in Dubai have turned to KVH Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI) for content services designed to enhance crew well-being. Content options range from daily local news to blockbuster films, popular TV programming, real-time sports statistics, music, and social engagement through karaoke and other content.
“It’s vital to remember that commercial vessels aren’t simply floating offices and warehouses but homes for millions of seafarers from diverse cultures,” explains Jamie Airs, KVH’s Global Content Sales Manager. “Access to news, sports, entertainment, and social interaction all contribute to the positive mental health of crews at sea. Our KVH Link suite of crew content services delivers best-in-class content in various languages while offering an exciting, entertaining experience for the crew on laptops, personal devices, and TVs.”
GFS Ship Management FZE, has deployed the KVH Link service aboard 16 vessels. According to Captain (Dr.) Porus Pervez Dalal, Senior Manager/Head of Fleet Personnel, “Ensuring high morale is a priority for us. Crew welfare and mental health is one of our major areas of focus during ship operations. Along with free onboard Wi-Fi, simple access to movies and TV programs is an easy way to achieve this goal. Crews on our KVH Link-equipped vessels can enjoy entertainment and sports coverage off-watch, whether alone in their cabins or with their shipmates in the common space. By offering content like this, we believe we’ll reduce crew turnover. Plus, a happy crew can lead to increased efficiency and safer operations.”
Beginning with daily news updates from home via email to complete streaming entertainment-style services, KVH offers a spectrum of content solutions so the crew can benefit from these services regardless of the size of the vessel they are working on, from the smallest fishing boat to the largest tanker. KVH Link relies on the KVH ONE® global HTS network along with KVH’s award-winning TracNet™ hybrid and TracPhone® VSAT terminals to deliver daily TV news in more than 12 languages along with more than 60 different print news editions in more than 20 languages along with new movies, TV programming, music, trending social videos, and sports coverage and statistics. KVH Link delivers content without any impact on the vessel’s VSAT performance or data use.
For vessels not currently equipped with a KVH terminal and VSAT, KVH offers the compact linkHUB content server. KVH delivers linkHUB movie and TV programs monthly via secure, encrypted content drives, ensuring that ships receive entertaining content while maximizing onboard cybersecurity.
Nereus Shipping SA illustrates a common situation – a mixed fleet in which some vessels are equipped with KVH VSAT terminals and others are not. To ensure that all crews enjoy the benefits of content, Nereus subscribes to both KVH Link and linkHUB.
“Nereus Shipping SA is dedicated to constantly enhancing crews’ wellbeing, that is why we have chosen to provide KVH Link and linkHUB service to our fleet’s crew members to ensure that premium quality entertainment is delivered to them,” says Ioannis Chryssoyiannis, IT Manager for Nereus Shipping SA.
Looking at the realities of the commercial maritime environment, KVH’s Jamie Airs does not see the demand for crew content waning, explaining, “Commercial shipping faces a crewing crunch in the coming years, and access to crew connectivity and content is a must-have for the digital generation. Plus, it helps reduce crew turnover. Many customers prefer providing KVH Link content exclusively in communal areas to bring the crew out of their cabins and spend their downtime together. This shared entertainment experience promotes social cohesion, improved morale, and overall wellbeing onboard.”
