Five Critical Ways Connectivity Improves Safety in the Maritime Industry

August 2, 2023

Managed bandwidth applications and services make life and work aboard a vessel safer while simultaneously improving overall crew welfare.

Managed bandwidth communication systems at sea are helping to improve safety standards. From observing areas of high risk and activity, providing enhanced medical care and access to mental wellness counseling, connecting with remote technical support, and keeping crews connected to friends and family, life aboard vessels is becoming safer. 


Following are five critical ways to make the maritime industry safer.


Situational Awareness 

Safety is every crew member’s responsibility. Being aware of one’s surroundings and activities onboard a vessel is critical to safe operations aboard the ship. Integrating a managed CCTV system on board that observes hazardous and high-activity areas greatly enhances vessel safety initiatives and increases awareness. 


Suppose an emergent situation such as an engine room fire or other vessel event impacts operations. In that case, this managed system will allow onshore vessel managers and engineers to remote in, retrieve and review recorded video and provide critical information unknown to the crew at that time as to activities that led up to the incident, thus assisting with the quick resolution of the incident. The managed system consumes a predetermined amount of bandwidth, thus allowing other communications services to continue to work simultaneously in support of vessel operations. 


The passage of the Safer Seas Act extends situational awareness to stateroom entrances and passageways to protect all crew on board from Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment (read more details about this in our recent article Safer Seas Act Compliance and Solutions). 


Companies benefit twofold when they invest in managed onboard and remote monitoring systems. First, it adds a layer of deterrence and detection for the crew from sexual harassment, assault, and bullying. Second, it provides the captain and crew with enhanced situational awareness of activities around the ship. This allows everyone to participate in safer vessel operations by identifying and taking corrective action on potentially unsafe activities, and preventing an incident from occurring. 


Virtual Acute Care Medical Clinics at Sea

With telemedicine kits, vessels can remotely connect with physicians from anywhere, allowing any number of ailments to be attended to immediately, including cardiac issues, slips and falls and general illnesses. DigiGone's Standard telemedicine kits have HIPAA-compliant encrypted video and audio transmission. Medical tools on these telemedicine kits include built-in webcams, blood pressure cuffs, glucose meters, electrocardiograms, pulse oximeters, and more. More importantly, these kits are designed to easily integrate with existing networks and systems, providing a critical bandwidth-managed asset that can operate on your communication medium simultaneously with other communication services. In addition, these telemedicine kits can be used as ‘‘walk-in clinics at sea,’ allowing you to treat acute ailments before they develop into serious illnesses. A healthy crew is a safer crew.


Connect With Mental Health Providers

For the maritime industry to thrive, companies must take direct actions to ensure all crew members get the mental healthcare they need at sea. While the maritime industry is isolating, managed telemedicine and communication systems allow mariners to connect with mental health professionals, as needed, from anywhere. Using personal cell phones or telemedicine kits, the crew can set up and virtually attend appointments with a counselor from anywhere, including the privacy of their stateroom. Mental wellness is critical for safe vessel operations.


Communicate with Onshore Support

Finally, with managed bandwidth systems, crew and captains can stay connected with technical support teams, port authorities, support centers, and shipping companies while at sea. Fast and efficient communications via managed bandwidth connectivity allow crews to get necessary operational updates, counseling for any issues that arise at sea, technical assistance, and emergency response when needed, all at the same time. 


Crews Can Connect with Friends and Family, Enhancing Crew Welfare

The pandemic highlighted the challenges mariners face at sea, including, but not limited to, depression brought on by the inherent isolation of the job. Thankfully, many companies are expanding crew welfare initiatives. With managed bandwidth applications and services, like DigiGone’s CrewChat, crew members can connect with friends and family via voice and video using their cell phones from anywhere. These calls require a minimal portion of a vessel’s bandwidth, meaning other necessary systems can continue running while crew members keep in touch with family. Happy crew, happy boat, safer voyage. 


With the introduction of increased bandwidth availability, vessel management companies have the opportunity to improve their vessel productivity. But, they need to develop a bandwidth management plan and select bandwidth-sensitive applications and services to take advantage of the increased bandwidth and manage it judiciously while maintaining critical vessel operations.


DigiGone's products and services are designed to integrate easily within your bandwidth management plan. Using 256-bit end-to-end AES encryption, they are both bandwidth sensitive and secure. All transmissions are secure and proprietary to you. Unlike other applications and services, with DigiGone, no one has access to or sees your information and transmissions, not even us.


By Mike Dunleavy February 4, 2025
Telemedicine kits are becoming indispensable tools for home healthcare providers, particularly during transition care medical examinations (TCMs). While the initial TCM is conducted by a physician who generates revenue from the service, the telemedicine kit significantly benefits home healthcare providers by expediting patient registration for their care services. With a nurse or medical assistant deploying the kit, patients can be quickly evaluated and connected with a physician, ensuring all necessary documentation and approvals are completed more efficiently. This faster onboarding process allows home healthcare providers to register more patients in less time, helping them deliver care sooner and grow their services efficiently. The ability to “bring the doctor” to the patient through a telemedicine kit is invaluable in initiating care seamlessly. Once patients are on board, home healthcare providers can continue leveraging telemedicine technology to improve how they deliver services. The kits enable nurses and medical assistants to perform follow-up visits, diagnostics, and real-time consultations without requiring patients to leave their homes. This capability allows providers to optimize their schedules and visit more patients daily, all while maintaining a high standard of care. The efficiency gained means better coverage, smarter use of resources, and happier patients. Beyond efficiency, telemedicine kits help providers build stronger connections with their patients by making care more accessible and personalized. Providers can quickly respond to emerging health concerns, adjust care plans, and ensure ongoing monitoring—all from the patient’s home. This not only leads to better patient outcomes but also boosts the provider’s reputation for being reliable and innovative. By facilitating the registration of more patients and enhancing care once they are onboarded, telemedicine kits are powerful tools that enable home healthcare providers to expand their reach, improve operational efficiency, and thrive in an increasingly competitive market. In a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, telemedicine kits are revolutionizing how home healthcare providers deliver care, enabling faster patient onboarding, enhanced service delivery, and stronger connections with patients. By integrating this indispensable technology, providers can streamline operations, improve patient outcomes, and position themselves as leaders in care innovation. Don’t miss the opportunity to elevate your home healthcare services. Explore how telemedicine kits can help you expand your reach, optimize your resources, and deliver exceptional care. Contact us today to learn more and take the next step toward transforming your care delivery model.
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