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Fleet Xpress keeps latest Lindblad expedition ship connected

Lindblad Expeditions has opted for Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress to provide connectivity for its new U.S.-flagged expedition ship, National Geographic Venture.

The expedition ship, designed to explore the coastal waters, shallow coves and fast-moving channels where wildlife congregates, completed its first cruise around the Galapagos Islands in December 2018 before moving to Baja California. It is also destined for the Pacific North West coast and Alaskan cruising in the next few months.

Built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash., the 73 m long x 14m beam Venture is one of a growing number of ice-strengthened expedition cruise ships and has a capacity for 100 guests and a crew of 50.

Ship-to-shore connectivity is an important part of delivering an adventure cruise that combines comfort, safety and continuity of lifestyle with getting up close to nature.

“Fleet Xpress is the right fit for our fleet of smaller expedition vessels due to the requirement of a smaller VSAT terminal and the ability to provide hi-speed, reliable, global coverage as these vessels sail to remote parts the globe where connectivity is limited and our guest expectation is always to be connected,” says Arthur Theodorou, Director of IT, Lindblad Expeditions.

“Expedition cruising is creating a significant new market for Fleet Xpress,” says Christian Cordoba, Inmarsat Maritime Channel Manager for Yachting and Passenger. “Combining the high data speed of Ka-band and continuous L-band back-up with purpose-designed and easy to install 1m terminals allows Fleet Xpress achieves 24/7 coverage, stability and reliability, including high-speed IoT connectivity, whether the ship is in the Arctic or miles up an inland channel.”

Cordoba says that the new generation of expedition cruisers considers connectivity a lifestyle entitlement.

“For adventure cruisers today, connectivity is part of the package they are paying for; this is an audience which expects a highly educational vacation, but also to share experiences online instantaneously,” he says.

Fleet Xpress is a good fit for the new breed of expedition ships.

“From the owner’s perspective, Fleet Xpress is also the answer because these compact ships don’t have the real estate for the sizable terminals larger cruise ships use to connect via C-band,” says Cordoba. “Meanwhile, L-band alone falls short on data speeds and Ku-band services may work with compact shipboard terminals, but they can’t offer the benefit of a seamless global coverage the itineraries demand.”

Fleet Xpress is now installed on board six of the Lindblad Expeditions ships, including Venture’s sister ship National Geographic Quest, delivered in 2017, with retrofits made on Sea Bird, Sea Lion, Endeavour II and Islander. Fleet Xpress is fully integrated with the ship phone systems (PABX), and the internal communications platforms and local area networks used to optimise vessel operations.

The proven reliability of Fleet Xpress in service, and the robust and established I-5 and I-4 satellites supporting Ka-band and L-band respectively are also proving persuasive in attracting new types of vessels such as adventure cruise ships like National Geographic Venture to the high-speed data network, notes Cordoba.

Details

  • United States
  • Fleet Xpress