Elon Musk’s Starlink beams to container ships so crews can web surf

A container ship on the high seas. For crews that spend months at sea, reliable on-board connectivity is a luxury if it’s available at all, partly hinging on proximity to land-based networks. — Photo by Rinson Chory on Unsplash

Elon Musk’s satellite Internet service is heading deeper into one of the world’s oldest and vast economic frontiers: the high seas.

Hapag-Lloyd AG, the biggest container shipping line based in Germany, said Thursday it will install SpaceX’s Starlink service aboard the ships it owns and manages after a pilot program involving four vessels proved successful. Charters won’t receive the service under the current plan. According to Alphaliner data, 122 of the 259 ships that Hapag-Lloyd operates are company-owned.

For crews that spend months at sea, reliable on-board connectivity is a luxury if it’s available at all, partly hinging on proximity to land-based networks. During the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, seafarers’ sense of isolation only intensified as they kept working months after their employment contracts expired because global goods trade surged and border restrictions that made returning home difficult.

In a statement, Hapag-Lloyd said “the high-speed satellite Internet has revolutionised communication for seafarers, enabling seamless video calls and streaming services”.

Hapag-Lloyd chief operating officer Maximilian Rothkopf added that the connections will “enhance their well-being on board”.

Next steps in the rollout include ordering more equipment and installing antennas by year-end and activation of the service starting in early 2024.

The broadband network has capacity of as much as 250 megabits per second, the Hamburg-based carrier said. That helps facilitate “not only private use but also enabling Hapag-Lloyd to conduct remote maintenance and vessel inspections”, the company said. – Bloomberg