Maersk Supply Service has extended its satcom contract with Inmarsat to add another three years of Fleet Xpress VSAT connectivity for its offshore support vessel (OSV) fleet, and has also become one of the first companies to sign up to the satellite operator’s new dedicated bandwidth service for charterers.
The new Charterer plans on Fleet Xpress have been designed specifically for OSV operators to meet the connectivity requirements of third-party charterers, allowing data traffic to run across dedicated bandwidth links that are separated from the vessel’s primary bandwidth.
“IT solutions that offer us and our customers greater control and flexibility over data management are key to any initiatives that seek to achieve smarter and more agile vessel performance,” commented Maersk Supply Service Chief Information Officer, Thomas Stampe.
Maersk Supply Service is following a programme of expanded data utilisation to optimise vessel operations, having recently adopted a new energy advisory system to support initial targets of reducing fuel consumption by 5% by 2020.
“We are delighted that Maersk Supply Service has committed to Fleet Xpress to enable its digitalisation strategy and in particular that the company will use our new dedicated bandwidth service to provide its charterers with their own connection through the same terminal and hardware on the vessel,” said Eric Griffin, VP of Offshore Energy, Inmarsat Maritime.
