Hong Kong: Wallem Group (Wallem) today announced plans to install a GSM solution on board its entire fleet of vessels, which will allow crew members to use their own phones to keep in touch with their families and friends from the privacy of their own cabins. The service from Ireland-based Blue Ocean Wireless (BOW) uses special pre-paid SIM cards and transmits calls and data by connecting to a land-based wireless network via the vessel's onboard Inmarsat system.
"Blue Ocean has committed to installing the technology to about a quarter of our managed fleet by December 25, 2008," said Jim Nelson, Wallem Shipmanagement Managing Director, adding that the service would be a welcome Christmas present for many of the fleet's 6000 seafarers. "Our crews are an important asset to Wallem, and we are always looking for new services we can provide to improve life onboard." All crew members will receive SIM cards to place in their existing personal mobile telephones.
"We already offer free email accounts and text messaging for all our crew members," said Wallem Shipmanagement's Fleet personnel director, John Wood, adding that the new services are another way Wallem seafarers can stay in touch with family and friends. "The opportunity to call home in a more private environment is a welcome addition to the services we offer to bring the seafarers closer to home and their loved ones." [21/10/08]
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