Remitly, a Seattle-based remittance service, has announced a new money transfer service, called Remitly for Seafarers, that allows cruise ship workers to send money to family and friends overseas.

The service is currently available for cruise ship workers to send funds to the Philippines, India and Indonesia while onboard their ships. To send money, workers need a computer or the Remitly mobile app, a cruise ship ID card, a credit or debit card and a copy of their passport.

According to research cited by the company, there are more than 1.6 million seafarers in the cruise ship industry. They often have little time to send money from shore, and are subject to long lines and extremely high fees when they send funds from ships.

"Seafarers make tremendous sacrifices for their families, leaving home for long periods of time to support their families and communities," Matt Oppenheimer, co-founder and CEO of Remilty, said in the release. "We are thrilled by the success of Remitly for Seafarers and we are confident this expansion of service will help more seafarers support their loved ones without the hardship, hassle and high fees of traditional money transfer services."