Solstad Offshore has begun trialling the Starlink satcom system on selected vessels in its fleet in conjunction with Marlink, integrating the low earth orbit connectivity service with the existing vessel Sealink VSAT, L-band backup and 4G systems.
In September 2022, Solstad Offshore completed the migration of its overall fleet connectivity to Marlink and has now become the satcom service provider’s first offshore vessel customer to trial Starlink, testing the network in the harsh weather conditions of the North Sea.
The company will have access to a higher Maximum Information Rate (MIR) on the Starlink service where available, backed by a Committed Information Rate (CIR) over VSAT, all within a single integrated network.
“Solstad Offshore is committed to innovation and quality in all our operations and we consider connectivity to be an important driver of value for our customers, crews and our people ashore,” said Christian Nesheim, ICT Director, Solstad Offshore.
“We are happy to further deepen our relationship with Marlink and have the opportunity to pilot the Starlink connectivity solutions together. Testing done on vessels in the North Sea region will give us valuable experience on the roughness and stability of the solution during the tough winter months.”
“Following the Starlink trial we will evaluate if this should be incorporated as a supplement in the Solstad Offshore fleet, as an integrated part of our existing connectivity solutions by Marlink.”
