RHL Calliditas. Photo: Reederei Hamburger Lloyd.

Reederei Hamburger Lloyd, a Hamburg-based shipping group, will move its fleet of nine container ships and six bulkers to Marlink’s Sealink Plus VSAT package including unlimited L-band backup.

According to Marlink, Hamburger Lloyd was looking for a communications solution that provides a link for downloading Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) updates, which is critical to the fleet’s navigational safety. According to Hamburger Lloyd, it also sees that moving from pay-as-you-go L-band communication services to the pay-monthly VSAT model will provide budget predictability and enable it to offer more crew communication facilities.

Hamburger Lloyd has also chosen to install XChange, Marlink’s integrated communication management and application platform that provides management functions, such as crew connectivity account management. While Hamburger Lloyd’s existing L-band system will provide back-up, new onboard hardware including XChange and 1-meter Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) antennas will be provided as part of the monthly cost, resulting in a low initial investment for Hamburger Lloyd to introduce significant new communication capabilities for its vessels.