MIDDLETOWN, R.I., March 18, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crewtoo ® , the world's largest online network dedicated to seafarers, has launched an online maritime jobs board as a direct response to requests from its members, who have continuously pinpointed recruitment as one of their main priorities. Crewtoo, which has more than 100,000 members and was founded by KVH Media Group, part of KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI ), premiered the service yesterday in Stamford, Connecticut, at Shipping 2014, the annual shipping conference and exhibition of the Connecticut Maritime Association.
The Crewtoo jobs board is integrated into the Crewtoo site and enables seafarers to simply change a setting on their profile to state that they are available for work; they are then prompted to fill in their full employment details on the site and upload their current CV/resumé. For the seafarer, membership to the popular social network remains free of charge and, even before the jobs board launch, thousands of seafarers had already taken the opportunity to complete their jobs profile.
"We believe that Crewtoo gives us the perfect platform to help seafarers and maritime recruiters alike," says Mark Woodhead, managing director of KVH Media Group. "Seafarers are afraid of being taken advantage of and want to deal with a name they trust while maritime recruiters want great value in an effective and flexible service that will find them the best crew. From traditional web advertising to social media promotion, we believe we can match businesses with the right crew using web and social technology."
Maritime recruiters using Crewtoo can choose from three advertising packages: a single vacancy post, a monthly plan, or an unlimited annual service that includes social media posts and a featured company profile service.
Crewtoo members represent a wide range of nationalities, with 55% from Europe, 34% from Asia and the Middle East, 9% from Africa, and the rest from North America, Latin America, and Australasia. Likewise, the membership encompasses a broad range of ranks, including masters, ordinary seamen, chief officers, chief engineers, electrical engineers, deck cadets, engine cadets, and cooks.
"It's a very exciting time for Crewtoo. We have put an experienced maritime recruitment team together and we have already received vacancies from recruiters who know the Crewtoo brand, even before the site launched," says Woodhead. Crewtoo prides itself on its relationship with seafarers and plans to continue growing the social side of the site by adding new elements and services to it throughout the year.
In addition to Crewtoo, KVH Media Group has a number of other services aimed at improving crew welfare. NEWSlink TM is a daily news and information service customized for seafarers, with more than 75 publications in 17 languages delivered by email to vessels around the world. MOVIElink TM , TVlink TM , and TRAININGlink TM provide commercially licensed movies, television programs, and training films for onboard viewing by seafarers, delivered in a range of formats from hard-copy DVDs delivered directly to ship agents anywhere in the world to fully digital services. SPORTSlink TM provides daily video clips of sporting events.
KVH provides maritime broadband connectivity to vessels worldwide through its TracPhone ® V-IP series terminals and mini-VSAT Broadband sm network. In addition, KVH is introducing IP-MobileCast TM , a content delivery service that is designed to enable MOVIElink, TVlink, SPORTSlink, TRAININGlink, NEWSlink, and MUSIClink TM commercially licensed entertainment content to be delivered via multicasting technology to subscribing vessels, over the top of the mini-VSAT Broadband network.
Note to Editors: For more information, visit the Crewtoo recruitment site ( www.crewtoo.com/recruitment ). For more information about KVH's many services and products for the maritime industry, visit KVH Media Group ( www.kvhmediagroup.com ), and the mini-VSAT Broadband website ( www.minivsat.com/vip ).
About KVH Industries, Inc.
KVH Industries is a leading provider of in-motion satellite TV and communications systems, having designed, manufactured, and sold more than 175,000 mobile satellite antennas for applications on vessels, vehicles, and aircraft. KVH is also a leading news, music, and entertainment content provider to many industries including maritime, retail, and leisure. KVH is based in Middletown, RI, U.S.A., with facilities in Illinois, Denmark, Norway, the U.K., Singapore, the Philippines, Cyprus, and Japan.
This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, for example, statements regarding the timing and occurrence of KVH's new service rollout plans, the functionality, characteristics, quality, cost, and performance of KVH products and technology, as well as customer demand, preferences, requirements, and expectations. The actual results could differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, among others: Potential unanticipated technical or legal impediments that could delay or impede new service rollout plans or expected strategic relationships; access to sufficient and uninterrupted satellite capacity to provide the service; unanticipated increases in media costs or loss of distribution rights; risks associated with the delivery or performance of critical hardware; uncertainty about the scope of customer demand; and changes in the costs and capabilities of competing offerings. These and other risk factors are discussed in more detail in KVH's most recent Form 10-K filed with the SEC. KVH does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect new information or developments.
KVH, Crewtoo, NEWSlink, MOVIElink, TVlink, TRAININGlink, SPORTSlink, MUSIClink, TracPhone, and IP-MobileCast are trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. mini-VSAT Broadband is a service mark of KVH Industries, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
Sue Henney Marketing Manager KVH Media Group +44 151 236 4124 Jill Connors Media & Communications Manager KVH Industries, Inc. +1 401-851-3824
