Wifi connectivity for seafarers remains ‘hit-and-miss’ despite legal obligation, warns Idwal

Wifi connectivity for seafarers remains ‘hit-and-miss’ despite legal obligation, warns Idwal
Adam Corbett 12 August 2022 https://www.tradewindsnews.com/ship-management/wifi-connectivity-for-sea...

Worrying findings from ship-inspection company come despite increased concerns over seafarer welfare following the pandemic

Most seafarers have no access to free unlimited onboard wifi while working at sea, according to a study by ship-inspection company Idwal.

The worrying findings come more than 15 years after the Maritime Labour Convention legally required shipowners to provide crew with onboard communications.

It also comes despite increased awareness of the need for onboard connectivity prompted by the pandemic.

Hundreds of thousands of seafarers had to endure prolonged separation from families after being forced to work at sea for as long as a year beyond their contracted period.

Idwal’s study is drawn from 12 seafarer welfare data points that are routinely checked during its ship inspections.

Perhaps surprisingly, container ships — many of which are operated by some of the world’s leading shipping companies — had the lowest percentage of onboard wifi systems for crew. The Idwal study showed that as many as 45% of the boxships that it inspected had no crew wifi.