Inmarsat has again extended its discount for crew voice calling services, which will now be available until 30 September 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on seafarer wellbeing, with the International Transport Workers’ Federation estimating that 600,000 crew members have been affected since the start of the crisis. Being able to stay in touch with family and friends when stranded at sea for months on end has never been more important.
Inmarsat formalised extra support offered to ChatCard users from the start of the crisis with the introduction in April of discounts of up to 50% available to 40,000 ships for three months. As the pandemic continued, the offer was continued to the end of July, and has now been extended again.
The voice call discount offers are available day and night to Inmarsat retail customers using FleetBroadband and Fleet Xpress ChatCard voice services and to wholesale partners offering FleetBroadband voice calls under the legacy Crew Calling ‘SQT’ brand.
The different ways that technology can benefit crew safety, health and wellbeing at sea are highlighted in Inmarsat’s recent Welfare 2.0 report, which points to the need for greater investment in digitalisation for worker welfare.
Identifying solutions that can help improve life and safety on board is the aim of a new Open Innovation Challenge, for which Inmarsat has joined forces with Shell Shipping and Maritime and maritime digital consultancy Thetius to offer tech start-ups and SMEs the opportunity to conduct a proof of concept on a vessel.
For more information contact [email protected].
