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Satnews Daily
March 5th, 2020

Van Oord Selects Marlink for VSAT Connectivity in India


Van Oord has selected Marlink’s high throughput VSAT for connectivity in Indian territorial waters, through an agreement with India's licensed Inflight Maritime Connectivity (IFMC) service partner, Nelco Ltd. (Nelco).

Van Oord has signed a fixed term contract for Marlink’s SeaLink VSAT service after the successful conclusion of a trial in October 2019 onboard the trailing suction hopper dredger Volvox Asia.

The capacity agreement ensures that Van Oord vessels can stay connected to flexible, resilient and high-speed broadband even in areas where previously, regional regulations could prohibit or restrict their ability to stay connected via satellite. It also means that customer vessels can remain in compliance with reporting requirements of national and international regulations.

Satellite communications are subject to license restrictions when operating in Indian waters, meaning that VSAT must be turned off, unless using a licenced service provider.

The result is either increased complexity for customer ICT departments or loss of access to bandwidth used for mission critical operations, crew connectivity and compliance. Working with Nelco, Marlink can now remove these challenges, ensuring that customers do not experience any service interruptions. Van Oord is the first Marlink customer to take advantage of seamless connectivity within Indian territorial waters.

An independent family business based in the Netherlands, Van Oord is a pre-eminent contractor for dredging, marine engineering and offshore and energy projects, including oil, gas and wind, providing innovative solutions for marine engineering challenges. Its operations in Indian waters centre on dredging; a core business for Van Oord, one it has continuously focused on since the company’s foundation, by continuously shifting the boundaries of technology.