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Shipping sticks out 'like a sore thumb' in the connected worldShipping sticks out 'like a sore thumb' in the connected world

Shipping increasingly “sticks out like a sore thumb” in the connected world, but maritime communications executives believe this will change in the short term.

Marcus Hand, Editor

May 28, 2019

1 Min Read
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A recent technical meeting of IMarEST UAE Branch focused on Digital Connectivity and Training looked at the current state of communications in the maritime industries and where it was headed.

Rob Parkin, director of sales – Commercial Maritime EMEA for KVH told teh audience that there were still less than 10% of ships having VSAT and that 40,000 plus were still using limited bandwiths, despite the large scale adoption of broadband ashore.

Parkin explained that shipping stuck out like a sore thumb in an increasingly connected world for its reluctance to embrace modern technology, even where this is paying dividends in parallel industries.

However, while uptake has been slow to date with the industry being hesitant due to uncertainty he and his colleague Milind J Karkhanis, sales director - Middle East for KVH, believed the industry would become better connected in the short term.

Parkin highlighted that that the demand for maritime connectivity was growing due to the convergence of several key market drivers such as operational efficiency, regulatory mandates, crew welfare, and cost savings.

One of the areas where satcoms has been at the fore in maritime is in online training. Karkhanis said KVH has delivered 100 million plus training hours to date and was now moving in the area of virtual reality training where three-dimensional training can be undertaken in environment inspired by virtual reality gaming. This enables seafarers for example to experience the engine room onshore in a safe “sand box” where mistakes could be made.

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About the Author

Marcus Hand

Editor

Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia.

Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation.

In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology.

Marcus is the founder of the Seatrade Maritime Podcast that delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics.

Conferences & Webinars

Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

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