On-Ship Technology

How do you stay connected with the mainland, when you’re cruising along the open waters? That’s a question that’s always being asked, by both industrial shippers and the cruise ship industry. After all, cargo ships need a huge crew to run smoothly, and this crew needs adequate technology to keep track of the ship’s systems, each other, and to stay in touch with their friends and family back home. These technological demands overlap in some ways with those of cruise ships, whose passengers are always insisting on more sophisticated on-ship telecommunication networks.

The Laptop You Can Run Over (and it keeps working)

Industrial shippers enjoy the same aspects of a laptop computer as us landlubbers. They’re portable, lightweight, and convenient. As you can imagine, most people working on a cargo vessel aren’t sitting in a climate controlled office throughout the day. They are on the move, checking a ship’s systems physically, as well as through sensors hooked up to the vessel’s networks.

They need the functionality of a laptop, but with a rugged take. The result: ruggedized notebooks that can withstand extreme temperatures, moisture, dirt, and the jarring or pitching one might expect on a ship at sea. Computer manufacturers like Panasonic are creating laptops specifically with those shipbound in mind: they are built to absorb massive amounts of shock, as well as temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius.

Wireless Internet in the Open Ocean

Cruise goers expect all the amenities of home when they’re at sea, and new technology has been developed to deliver these demanding customers what they want. In 2010, Royal Caribbean cruiseliners rolled out ships entirely equipped with wifi throughout, powered by a special unified mobile network, designed for ships at sea.

The network also supports Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP), a technology that lets those on the ship make calls home directly from the phones in their cabin. The network also directs traffic form some mobile carriers like AT&T, keeping passengers’ mobiles functioning on the ocean.

Maritime Entertainment

Cruisegoers don’t just want to be able to phone home, though. They also want TV equipped with all the channels. On cruise ships, and in cargo ships, passengers are entertained with TV streamed in live from satellites, as well as pre-recorded content. The revolution in digital TV has made it much easier for ships to receive real-time mainland TV; since digital video is data just like anything else, it can be processed over the ship’s network by software systems located in the ship’s control room.

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