Anglo-Eastern celebrated the 100th installation of Starlink within its managed fleet last week, mere months after announcing its commitment to the service. The global ship manager has seen an overwhelmingly positive response in respect of both operations and crew wellbeing.
Torbjorn Dimblad, Chief Information Officer of Anglo-Eastern, expressed his satisfaction, saying “We now have Starlink-equipped vessels operating in every corner of the world and we are delighted with the service. We consistently experience internet speeds exceeding 100 Mbps everywhere that Starlink is available”. Mr. Dimblad reports that Starlink’s electronic phased array antenna has proved to be highly reliable. “Starlink-equipped vessels in the Anglo-Eastern fleet have 90% fewer connectivity-related issues. The connection speed has also enabled 30% faster resolution of IT support issues, marking a paradigm shift in the way we operate.”
The improved connectivity is transforming the interactions between shore-side teams and vessels. Vikrant Malhotra, Managing Director of Group QHSE, shared, “Our QHSE teams run frequent connects with our vessels to discuss incidents and learnings. This used to be a one-to-one conversation, but we are now running combined sessions with three or four vessels over a Teams video call. It is wonderful to see crews interacting with one another, and since it is now a shared experience between vessel teams, we are seeing stronger ownership and collaboration on process improvements”.
In reaching this milestone, Anglo-Eastern engaged with its crew, gathering valuable feedback on all aspects of the service and its impact on life at sea. “The crew are overwhelmingly positive,” said Vinay Singh, Group Managing Director of Marine HR. “Initially, there were some concerns ashore that individuals would spend more time online and alone in their quarters, potentially affecting overall team cohesion. However, this has not been the case, with 91% of respondents saying that time spent online remained largely unchanged.”
The improved speed allows crews to connect with family and friends through video calls, stay up-to-date on news and sporting events, and stream media on services like Netflix. Many respondents have also embraced online learning, completing courses during their time at sea. Mr Singh continued, “The survey shows that beyond individual benefits, enhanced communications have significantly improved team engagement, with over 90% of respondents reporting a boost in morale and improved relationships amongst crew members.”
Carsten Ostenfeldt, Chief Operating Officer of Anglo-Eastern, remarked, “It is well documented that an engaged team has a profound impact on safe, reliable, and efficient vessel operations. We are pleased to see that the introduction of this technology has had such a positive development across the fleet.”
As Anglo-Eastern celebrates this achievement, it reaffirms the group’s dedication to being pioneers in deploying transformative technologies for the benefit of vessels and their crews. Bjorn Hojgaard, Chief Executive Officer of Anglo-Eastern, said “We look forward to these contributions making the maritime industry more resilient, efficient, and interconnected than ever before.”