According to the Seafarers Happiness Index, a quarterly survey conducted by the Mission to Seafarers, based on data from Quarter 4 of 2024, the connectivity index dropped to 7.05 from 7.38 of the previous quarter.
The quality of onboard connectivity is a crucial factor in seafarers’ daily lives, with clear patterns emerging in the feedback. On most vessels, daily data allowances are deemed sufficient for personal use, enabling crew members to stay connected with their families.
However, the infrastructure supporting this connectivity varies greatly between ships. Bandwidth limitations during peak usage times are a recurring issue, often making it difficult to hold meaningful conversations or video calls. This inconsistency in connection quality directly affects seafarers’ well-being.
Staying in touch with loved ones is vital for emotional support. The strong link between connectivity and family relationships underscores the need for reliable internet services at sea, as they provide a lifeline to the outside world.
Improving the quality and consistency of connectivity would significantly enhance the seafarer experience, reducing feelings of isolation by ensuring that the technology lives up to its promises.
A respondent said: “My company gives 1 GB per day, which is more than enough to use, but the internet connection gets slow when crew are actually using the internet.”
Concerns about privacy on board were also raised. While many seafarers can make calls in their cabins, poor sound insulation between cabins often leads to a sense that private conversations are easily overheard.
As one respondent stated: “I can hear everything from the cabin next to me. I presume I can he heard too – which makes conversations with home stressful.”
Photo credit: iStock/ Igor-Kardasov
