Luxury expeditions take connectivity to remote locations via Marlink

'A mandatory service'

‘Connectivity is a mandatory service to have on board if the luxury expedition cruise market is to retain customer satisfaction and keep competitive, said Knut Natvig, VP corporate communications, Marlink.

‘Due to this demand we are seeing a 100% growth in capacity in the expedition sector, he said.

New expedition ships Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Inspiration, due to be delivered this year, and Hanseatic Spirit, due in 2021, will integrate Marlink VSAT offering the same high-level connectivity for guests and crew.

Marlink also renewed its contract to deliver multi-band services to French luxury cruise specialist Ponant late in 2017, a deal that included provision for four new Explorers yachts Le Champlain and Le Lapérouse, which joined the fleet in 2018, and Le Bougainville and Le Dumont-d’Urville, entering service in 2019.

‘Regardless of remoteness, guests on expedition class ships still expect to connect to the Internet, so operators are looking for the highest network quality to deliver on these expectations,’ said Tore Morten Olsen, president maritime, Marlink.

Communications across the waves

Marlink has also added new satellite beams to its global Sealink VSAT network to provide broader flexible access to reliable, high-speed Internet connectivity, enabling operational, crew and guest communications in the bandwidth-hungry cruise and superyacht markets.