Speedcast has announced the release of CrewReach, a new global prepaid mobile SIM card designed to be used by ships’ crew members and provide cost-effective access to 4G and 3G data.

Speedcast has introduced a new global near-shore, data-only 4G/LTE GSM connectivity system called GO4SPEED, aimed at the maritime and energy markets, as well as a new at-sea television service called Speedcast TV On Demand.

Grieg Star, a shipping company headquartered in Bergen, Norway, is to roll-out a new VSAT system across its fleet of 33 General Cargo Open Hatch vessels, having agreed a deal with Marlink to implement its Sealink VSAT Premium service.

Netherlands-based Shipping Company Groningen has agreed a deal to roll out the shipznet vessel communications systems on part of its fleet of vessels.

Turkish shipmanager Active Shipping is to implement VSAT services across its fleet of oil tankers and bulk carriers, following a deal with Marlink and its regional partner Ozsay Satellite Communications.

SeafarerHelp, a free confidential helpline for seafarers around the world run by the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), can now be contacted using mobile messaging app WhatsApp, the organisation has announced.

GTMaritime has launched GTLitespeedMAX, a regional VSAT package providing 25GB for commercial use along with unlimited night-time data usage for crew between 9pm and 5am UTC.

German maritime GSM data provider bobz GmbH has announced the launch of its new shipznet ultra packages, offering users a choice between Global, Midsize or Europe packages from 20 GB per month.

North P&I Club in the UK is encouraging its shipowner members to consider the importance of internet access on their ships to ensure they continue to attract, recruit and retain high quality crews, as part of a campaign by North to help its members get the ‘right crew’ that is highlighted in the club’s Signals newsletter.

NSSLGlobal is expanding its range of value added services with the launch of an onboard video-based entertainment system called CrewVision.