International Dredging and Offshore Contractor Van Oord has chosen Sealink customised VSAT from Marlink to provide data communication services for three offshore rock placement vessels.
The five year contract covers Marlink’s provision of end-to-end services and includes facility to provide ad-hoc coverage should the vessels be operating in extreme remote areas. The Sealink Service Agreement, which provides 24/7 access to expert front-line support is also a key part of Marlink’s provision under the contract.
Sealink will be installed aboard the Stornes (26,000Te), which has been operational since late September 2011, Nordnes (24,000Te) and Tertnes (9,785Te). The vessels are used for Subsea Rock Installation (SRI), a proven technique for the protection and stabilisation of offshore structures within the subsea construction field. Van Oord has developed a system making use of a flexible fallpipe, which guarantees high workability and accuracy during operations. Though deployed in high profile projects such as Ormen Lange in the North Sea, the vessels also operate in extremely remote areas, driving a high requirement for crew welfare and operational communication.
The Sealink connectivity is delivered through stabilized 1.5m Ku-band antennas offering global coverage with dedicated bandwidth of CIR 512 kbps duplex and accommodation for temporary bandwidth provision up to CIR 4096 kbp duplex. The service features multiple carrier support, which provides the ability to switch from the Sealink Ku-band VSAT to any of Van Oord’s alternative carriers already installed. As part of the contract, Sealink will support VoIP traffic over VLAN and automatic beam switching ensuring seamless communication when moving between different satellites.
“Sealink meets Van Oord’s very specific connectivity requirements for these specialised vessels and offers improved possibilities for both crew and operational connectivity,” comments Ab Argam, Area Manager Benelux, Marlink. “ The solution we have developed is extremely flexible. Marlink will act as a one-stop-shop, providing hardware and services, as well as managing ad-hoc bandwidth and coverage when needed, which is vital for Van Oord as it is well known for operating in very remote regions. Although Sealink offers near global coverage, if a particularly remote region is not covered, we will source temporary capacity from our satellite operator partners to ensure Van Oord’s ability to communicate, and therefore operate safely and efficiently.”
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Press Release, June 4, 2013