Maersk to add SpaceX Starlink satellite system to at least 330 container ships

Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Danish transportation giant Maersk on Thursday said it will add the SpaceX Starlink satellite system to hundreds of its container ships.

The company announced it is adding the satellite systems to at least 330 of its container ships, providing them with Internet speeds of up to 200 megabits per second.

"The high speed connectivity will enable our seagoing colleagues to stay connected with their loved ones while at sea," said Leonardo Sonzio, Maersk's head of fleet management and technology, in a statement. "It will also propel the expansion of seamless cloud solutions, enabling our vision to digitalise our vessel operations."

The addition of the SpaceX Starlink system to Maersk's fleet comes on the heels of a pilot phase during which more than 30 of the company's ships were outfitted with the high speed Internet technology.

SpaceX said adding its satellite coverage to Maersk's ships will allow the Copenhagen-based company to maintain its competitive edge in global transportation.

"Starlink's high-speed broadband through the world's most advanced satellite Internet constellation will help boost efficiency through seamless connectivity, no matter where in the world they are," said Jonathan Hofeller, SpaceX vice president of Starlink commercial sales.

Maersk said the installation is expected to be complete by the first quarter of next year,

With more than 5,000 satellites launched to date, Starlink boasts more than two million subscribers to its service, which is operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

But given the high volume of the relatively small satellites, the company has been criticized for creating "space junk," dangerous debris that creates potential hazards for other spacecraft in the low-orbit atmosphere where Starlink's satellites reside.

SpaceX's Starlink system has disrupted the existing satellite communications sector, which often requires years of testing and production to get a satellite into orbit, whereas Starlink does it in a fraction of the time.