- IEC Telecom reports that it has seen a spike in maritime communications traffic over the past week, driven by an increase in the number of calls made to Ukraine amidst the ongoing Russian invasion.
- Ukrainian crewmembers who serve aboard vessels without Satcom connectivity have a harder time staying in contact with home, and that may take time to change, said Ben Soussia.
- Due to the global microship shortage – an after-effect of the COVID-19 pandemic – there is a 3-6 month wait for VSAT systems.
Satellite connectivity is proving to be beneficial to the crew’s well-being as reported by The Maritime Executive.
Increased incoming calls
IEC Telecom reports that it has seen a spike in maritime communications traffic over the past week, driven by an increase in the number of calls made to Ukraine amidst the ongoing Russian invasion.
IEC’s data for the past month shows that calls are up by 30%, with the majority of the increase occuring over the past seven days.
The extra traffic is primarily from shipboard sources to Ukraine, which provides a substantial share of the world’s maritime officers and enlisted seafarers.
“We noted the sudden rise in the use of our services and could see clearly that this corresponds with the outbreak of hostilities.
IEC Telecom has a long history of helping humanitarian efforts and we want to do all we can to help those affected by what’s happening in Ukraine,” said IEC Group CCO Nabil Ben Soussia.
Prices lowered
The company has lowered its pricing to allow vessel operators to provide greater internet access and call time to their Ukrainian crew members. Many have relatives in occupied or under attack areas, including Mariupol, which has been surrounded and subjected to daily shelling.
IEC has reduced its tariffs for phone calls to Ukraine to $0.35 cents per minute and is offering shipowners a 20% discount on its prepaid call cards to help keep impacted seamen and their families in touch.
Satellite phone systems
Ukrainian crewmembers serving on ships without Satcom connectivity have a harder time remaining in touch with home, and Ben Soussia believes that this will take time to change. There is a 3-6 month wait for VSAT systems due to a global microship shortage, which is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Installation of a dedicated voice terminal is a more immediate solution, as the simpler voice-only satellite phone systems are still in stock and available – at least for the time being.
“Don’t wait for issues to affect your team. Put something in place right now to ensure that your yacht has a welfare communications system”, Ben Soussia offered advice.
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Source: The Maritime Executive
