FrontM partners with Inmarsat and VIKAND to launch COVID -19 Telemed Service for maritime workforce

FrontM, a collaboration software provider to the maritime and aviation industries, announced their collaboration with global satellite telecommunications giant Inmarsat and VIKAND, a global, maritime medical operations and healthcare solutions provider, to provide seafarers with immediate access to a COVID-19 healthcare hotline. This service will deliver vital frontline medical information to the shipping industries and seafaring workforce at a time when they need it the most.

The London based startup was approached by their partners Inmarsat and VIKAND to provide a telemed collaboration platform that would enable medical staff to provide remote and isolated maritime workers with access to COVID-19 related medical advice and support. This will help more vessels and shipping firms navigate the uncharted territories that their workforces face. In order to facilitate the hotline key development staff were directed from new projects to develop a scalable, secure and reliable web based video-conferencing solution that runs over a dedicated connectivity allocation connecting seafarers across the Fleet Xpress Inmarsat fleet with medical experts within a 2 week timeframe. 

“I am sure you are all aware of the battle the maritime industry has waged against COVID-19 to ensure that vital medical supplies and food shipments reach our shores whilst we all adhere to ‘Staying at home, to ‘Protect the healthcare system and Save lives' said Pradeep Roonwal, VP delivery and operations at FrontM. “That is why we are proud to announce the collaboration with our partners to provide seafarers with this hotline to ensure the immediate well-being and safety of our mariners. This is also a remarkable achievement for our development team who went above and beyond in order to meet the tight delivery timeframes”. 

“We are delighted that FrontM and VIKAND will join Inmarsat in delivering this timely, relevant and requested information service to our Fleet Xpress clients,” said Marco Cristoforo Camporeale, Head of Digital Solutions, Inmarsat Maritime.

“By urgently providing this information hotline along with Inmarsat and FrontM we will offer vessel owners and Captains all over the world easy access to information to help give relevant medical information around COVID-19 at this difficult time. Over the longer term, our shared vision for the partnership with Inmarsat is to ensure a healthier environment onboard ships, early intervention when seafarers are not well and a rapid support system in the event of an emergency, utilizing the communication strength of Inmarsat.” said Peter Hult, CEO of VIKAND

Technology can sometimes be seen as having a detrimental impact on people’s well-being, however, FrontM focuses on building solutions that have a positive impact on society and the world at large, actively promoting tech for good.

“By answering the call to arms by our partners Inmarsat and VIKAND we have been able to develop a powerful telemed solution that will help provide commercial seafaring vessels and their employees with quick and easy access to the COVID-19 medical information they need during these difficult times.  The longer-term collaboration with Inmarsat and VIKAND will help to provide a stable platform that will allow mariners to connect with expert telemed services, in order to improve the quality of their care and life whilst at sea.” said Kiran Venkatesh FrontM’s CEO.

FrontM enables efficient communication, automation and customer experiences for airlines, cruises, shipping, fishing, remote enterprises and other frontier markets.