Baze Technology is in the business of developing solutions that support crew welfare, helping enhance and enrich the employment experience of those who work at sea.
The Norwegian provider and developer of IPTV systems, led by Tor-Egil Tinderholt, has had a long relationship with many of the major companies in the shipping and offshore sectors, delivering over 700 installations on a wide variety of vessels worldwide since its establishment in 2007.
The company behind the BazePort Seea product, a monthly service including thousands of hours of movies, TV content, and daily news updates, takes crew welfare very seriously, Tinderholt tells Maritime CEO.
Baze Technology focuses on bringing digital entertainment to crew or passengers sailing in areas with low or no connectivity and developing services for sharing information, such as specific information to the crew, voyage information, and safety-on-board messaging.
The company recently surveyed more than 700 crewmembers from shipping companies such as Berge Bulk, Westfal-Larsen, Knutsen OAS Shipping, Flex LNG and Ardmore Shipping to investigate the service’s impact on crew.
“84% of the crewmembers stated that their workplace environment had improved since the BazePort entertainment system was installed onboard, claims Tinderholt.
He says BazePort IPTV serves several different markets, but the maritime market is still the company’s strongest and where Baze Technology`s DNA comes from. Initially Baze Technology targeted offshore, ferries and explorer cruise vessels, but later expanded into the dry bulk, tanker and container sectors after increasing interest from deepsea operators.
However, Tinderholt finds that the challenge for deepsea vessels is the lack of a good internet connection, or increasing over-reliance and contention on limited connectivity channels. This led to the development of BazePort Seea, which is an offline entertainment system made for ships with up to 35 crewmembers on board that uses little to no bandwidth and is said to hold the best content available.
“BazePort Seea is a complete video on demand service, and so much more, for deepsea vessel owners and ship management companies who recognise that digital entertainment and information systems can improve and support their crew welfare effort,” Baze Technology CEO says, adding that having such a service also helps businesses attract the best seafarers and stand out in the highly competitive shipping market.
According to Tinderholt, Baze Technology has never lost a client and its supplier-customer relationships and journey have been “remarkable”. “Our first installation back in 2009 is still with us and running the latest version of BazePort,” he says. “Our approach has been different from the competition, and the continuous improvements of the IPTV system are something all our clients have benefited from.”
The next release of BazePort will include an improved version of the digital signage system and the company is also working on further developing the BazePort Seea product to add more functionality to enhance the crew welfare aspect.
