Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) has activated the 1,000th Iridium OpenPort® marine satellite terminal aboard the Euronav tanker MV Fraternity. Iridium’s service provider AND Group plc installed and commissioned the Iridium OpenPort unit, which uses AND’s IPSignature communication management software for voice and data calls.

The Fraternity is a new double-hull, Belgium-flagged 159,000 deadweight ton tanker just delivered to Euronav from the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea. It is the 13th Euronav vessel to be fitted with Iridium OpenPort, and the company is currently installing the Iridium satcom terminals on 20 more ships. Euronav is dedicating two of the three voice channels for Iridium GoChat crew calling, with the third phone line on the bridge for ship’s business, according to Ian Robinson, CEO of AND Group. The crew calling phones are located in telephone booths, permitting two off-duty crew members to talk privately with their families or friends at home simultaneously without queuing for a single public phone.