Marlink launches ‘CrewEmail’ and Access Controller services
(Oct 30 2009) Marlink has launched a new a new e-mail and SMS send and reply service for crews called ‘CrewEmail’, with customisable features that aim to simplify crew access to communications, while also adding Livewire Connections¹ Access Controller to its portfolio.
The CrewEmail service can be fully integrated with a vessel’s existing Inmarsat or Iridium hardware, and can also be accessed remotely via the public internet for use by crews from any location ashore.
Crew members moving to a new CrewEmail-equipped ship can also redirect e-mails and internet credits to their new location, without changing e-mail address.
E-mail usage can be controlled onboard via a prepaid or quota system. The prepaid service requires crew members to purchase prepaid cards in order to gain access to the system, while the quota system enables the operator to allocate a specific amount of usage to each crew member.
When a crew member exceeds the allocated amount they can purchase a prepaid top-up card for additional access.
Personal filters built into the system allows users to pre-select who they wish to receive e-mails from and the file size they are able to receive, to help in managing their credit, while they can also forward e-mails to and from other e-mail systems and synchronise address books in shore based user accounts.
In other news, Marlink has also added a new system for management of a ship’s onboard satellite communications network to its range of offerings.
The Access Controller is manufactured by Livewire Connections, which had previously been offering the system itself, and can be installed on any vessel to manage switching between VSAT, Iridium OpenPort or Inmarsat FleetBroadband, to aid in cost control.
The user interface displays which data services are being used, how much data has been sent and received, as well as how long the system has been online, while ‘Remote User Control’ and ‘Remote WAN to WAN’ functions allow support technicians to access the system remotely if required.
The Access Controller is available with four or eight ports to enable connection to the vessel’s network.
“Our new Access Controller ensures that management of multiple systems is trouble-free,” said Chris Henny, senior project manager, Marlink.
“The system’s fully dynamic firewall capability enables the vessel operator to set up profiles, which allocate bandwidth and access to services depending on location and user priority, enabling a more efficient use of satellite communications services.”
