Teekay Offshore has renewed its VSAT connectivity packages for its fleet of shuttle tankers and floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessels.
Marlink will deliver global satellite communications to existing tankers and FSOs for another four years and will install the latest VSAT on a new series of ships.
Marlink's Sealink VSAT services for Ku-band communications will enable Teekay Offshore to adopt internet-of-things (IoT) technology for smarter vessel operations.
Teekay Offshore vice president of operations Regis Rougier said VSAT delivers “critical shuttle tanker connectivity that augments safety and effectiveness at sea”. VSAT provides continuous global access for the shuttle tankers and FSOs to IoT and digital technologies.
“It continues to be an essential aspect of our commitment to bring energy to the world in a sustainable way,” said Mr Rougier. “Helping us to optimise our own service to clients globally and increase our value proposition across the board.”
Teekay Offshore’s shuttle tankers will receive a permanent bandwidth boost as part of the Marlink contract renewal, supporting its digital strategy to support environmental and operational sustainability.
Sealink VSAT will be installed on six new E-Shuttle tankers under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea. E-Shuttle tankers are designed to reduce emissions and bunkering requirements by 50% through advanced, integrated LNG, VOC [volatile organic compounds] and electric powertrain.
Marlink will enable Teekay Offshore to have more control of bandwidth usage. It will provide its XChange bring-your-own-device (BYOD) services that uses wifi on the shuttle tankers and FSOs. Marlink will manage seafarer accounts, settings, onboard wifi and cyber security systems including content filters and firewalls.
Marlink president for maritime Tore Morten Olsen confirmed the contract was renewed for another four years. “Teekay Offshore is a forward thinking, safety and environment-first global marine services company with specific and demanding communication requirements for its shuttle tankers,” he said.
Marlink is improving VSAT technology and developing more IoT applications. In March 2019, Mr Olsen explained to Maritime Digitalisation & Communications why Marlink was working with Microsoft on developing cloud-based IoT solutions for maritime.
Back then he said “Our main purpose in engaging with Microsoft is to jointly develop communications solutions that benefit vessels, as most cloud services are based on industries where there are no bandwidth limitations, which are encountered in maritime.”
Together, they have created an ecosystem using Microsoft’s Azure Stack where owners and developers can create their own solutions. “It is about giving shipowners options that can be tailored as cloud-based solutions for maritime.”
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