Zodiac Maritime Agencies has equipped its fleet of 132 ships with an Iridium-based satellite email system supplied by AND Group, in a move to reduce the rising costs of ship-to-shore communication.
The shipboard package includes a Thrane and Thrane Sailor ST4120 transceiver bundled with AND's Rapidomail software. Satellite airtime is being supplied by AND Group in partnership with France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications, an Iridium service provider.
The Rapidomail system provides a complete integrated e-mail solution for a ship's business and crew calling. The crew mail service operates on a prepaid platform, using a unique virtual PIN technology. Each participating crewmember gets a private password-protected mailbox. Value-added services include crew shopping, news, weather and sports results.