Ship&Offshore | Issue 06/2013
Using broadband connectivity to meet MLC-2006 requirements
CREW WELFARE Innovations in maritime satellite communications technology are making broadband connectivity one of the most important resources on a ship today. With high-speed Internet, a ship can operate more efficiently thanks to real-time weather and voyaging information, fast e-mail transmissions and remote diagnostics for various systems. Even more importantly, broadband connectivity can help maritime operators comply in three key areas with the newly implemented crew welfare requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC-2006): crew communications and entertainment; crew training; and telemedicine, writes Jens Gegner Andreasen of Denmark’s KVH Industries AS, a manufacturer of communication solutions for mobile users at sea, on land and in the air.