BW Group has agreed a deal to upgrade more than 100 vessels in its fleet to HTS (high throughput satellite) VSAT services, moving from its legacy systems with KVH to the new higher-powered variant.
Having first begun using KVH VSAT services in 2013, the new contract will see BW Group continue with KVH for at least the next five years, upgrading 102 vessels to the mini-VSAT Broadband HTS network. The vessel migration programme is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2020.
BW operates a fleet that includes product tankers, LPG and LNG carriers, and offshore floating production vessels. Under the new deal the majority of the 102 vessels to be upgraded will deploy KVH’s TracPhone V11-HTS hardware, a 1 metre Ku/C-band maritime VSAT antenna offering data speeds up to 20 Mbps down/3 Mbps up.
The HTS network offered by KVH utilises Intelsat’s FlexMaritime service to deliver broadband coverage, backed by additional capacity from SKY Perfect JSAT.
“It is an honour for KVH to continue working with BW Group, a company whose commitment to quality vessels, operational efficiency, and crew welfare is well known throughout the maritime industry,” says Ken Loke, KVH’s vice president for Asia-Pacific.
“It is particularly gratifying that, based on the performance of our legacy network, BW is now migrating to our newest HTS network. We value the strong working relationship that has developed between our companies during the past years and look forward to the continuation of that relationship for years to come.”
