Mobile data in port: a seafarer's guide to buying an eSIM
Shore leave is short. Nobody wants to spend the first hour of it hunting for a SIM shop, a passport copy and a top-up card. An eSIM solves most of that: it is a mobile data plan you download to your phone instead of a plastic card. This guide explains how it works for seafarers, and how to buy one in our shop.
1. Check that your phone takes an eSIM
Most recent iPhones and many Android phones do. On an iPhone, look under Settings → Mobile Data (or Cellular) for Add eSIM. On Android, look under Settings → Network → SIMs. If the option is there, your phone supports it. Phones bought locked to one network may not accept another network's eSIM, so check that too.
2. Choose the country, not the ship's route
Plans are sold per country or region and per length of stay. Pick the country where you will step ashore and a plan that covers your days there. If your rotation calls at several countries in one region, a regional plan can be simpler than one plan per port.
3. Buy it from our shop
Our eSIM page lists the plans by destination with their data, days and price. When you press Buy now, you continue on AirZippy — the eSIM service from the same team as eMarinersApp — with your plan already chosen, and you pay there. Your purchases appear under My eSIMs in your account, so you can find the details again later.
4. Install it while you still have Wi-Fi
An eSIM is installed by scanning a QR code or tapping a link, and the phone needs an internet connection for that. Do it on board, on the ship's Wi-Fi, before you go ashore. Leave the new line switched off until you arrive, then turn on data for that line and roaming if the instructions say so.
5. Keep your own number for WhatsApp
The eSIM gives you data; your home SIM can stay in the phone for calls and SMS. WhatsApp keeps working on your own number over the eSIM's data, so family and crew can reach you as usual.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an eSIM at sea?
No. An eSIM uses land mobile networks, so it works in port and near the coast where there is signal, not in open sea.
Do I lose my WhatsApp number?
No. WhatsApp stays linked to your own number; the eSIM only provides the internet connection.
When should I install it?
Before you sign off or go ashore, while you are on Wi-Fi. Installing needs internet, which you may not have on arrival.
Where do I find an eSIM I bought earlier?
Under My eSIMs in your account on our shop.
