Danish shipping company Maersk has entered into an agreement with Inmarsat Maritime to enhance satellite communications across its fleet.
This move is set to upgrade connectivity for approximately 340 container ships worldwide between 2025 and 2026.
The initiative is a key component of Maersk’s ‘strategic roadmap’, aiming to transform its vessels into fully operational floating offices and improve crew connectivity.
With the concept, Maersk seeks to transform vessel operations via an advanced digitalisation strategy, enhanced cloud-enabled solutions, and a more integrated operational infrastructure.
This approach paves the way for future advancements in automation-driven operations and the potential for autonomous operations.
Maersk senior product manager Karthikeyan Arumugam said: “Connectivity is the key enabler in ensuring our vessels can become floating offices, and with our ‘One SatCom’ project we have the target of having transformed all our vessels into floating offices by 2027.”
The partnership with Inmarsat Maritime plays an important role in enriching application availability and performance – thereby supporting our digital transformation at sea.
Inmarsat Maritime’s connectivity service will provide Maersk’s fleet with a combination of Ka-band and ultra-resilient L-band networks.
This service is said to ensure ‘secure’ connectivity, which is key for the transformation of vessels into not only floating offices but also floating homes for seafarers.
Inmarsat Maritime president Ben Palmer OBE said: “Our long-term partnership with Maersk is tailored to meet the evolving demands for maritime connectivity. Our connectivity solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with Maersk’s operational framework, ensuring a robust, secure, and continuous flow of information between ship and shore.”
In October 2024, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha said that it was trialling Inmarsat Maritime’s NexusWave, a bonded network service enhancing ship-to-shore communications.
The high-speed, always-on service supports digital ship operations, environmental response, and seafarer welfare.