CapRock
Secures
Long-Term
SeaAccess
VSAT
Contract
with
BW
23
June
2010
CapRock
Communications,
announced
a
three-year
contract
with
BW
to
deploy
its
SeaAccess
service
onboard
its
fleet
of
approximately
100
vessels
including
Very
Large
Crude
Carriers
(VLCCs)
and
Liquefied
Petroleum
Gas
Carriers
(LPGCs).
The
agreement
follows
the
successful
completion
of a
nine-month
pilot
program
where
SeaAccess’
always-on
VSAT
services
and
capabilities
were
tested
on
the
BW
fleet
against
the
existing
pay-by-the-data
rate
communication
solution.
As
one
of
the
world’s
leading
maritime
groups
in
the
tanker,
gas
and
offshore
segments,
BW
requires
reliable
connectivity
on
its
vessels
for
efficient
fleet
operations.
Previously,
BW
relied
on a
metered
solution
with
limited
bandwidth
and
fluctuating
monthly
invoices.
With
the
company’s
IT
infrastructure
upgrade
and
the
roll
out
of
more
corporate
applications
to
its
vessels,
the
existing
solution
no
longer
met
the
company’s
needs.
“We
are
always
looking
to
improve
our
communications
technology
and
were
exploring
the
option
of
implementing
more
corporate
applications
onboard
our
vessels.
The
other
motivation
is
our
desire
to
attract
and
retain
seafarers
by
offering
‘home
comforts’
such
as
Internet
broadband
services
for
them
to
keep
in
touch
with
their
friends
and
families
onshore,”
said
Geraldine
Pang,
General
Manager,
IT,
BW
Maritime.
“When
we
evaluated
the
service
and
support
capabilities
available
with
VSAT,
CapRock
was
chosen
based
on
its
past
experience
in
the
maritime
market.
A
key
criteria
for
us
was
that
the
solution
should
provide
reliable
communication
services
globally,
and
over
the
course
of
the
pilot
program,
CapRock
proved
it
could
meet
our
expectations.”
With
the
deployment
of
the
turnkey
SeaAccess
solution
–
complete
with
network
design,
equipment
installation
and
commissioning,
and
24/7
helpdesk
support
– BW
receives
fixed
monthly
billing
and
always-on
communications
with
scalable
data
rates
to
meet
corporate
and
crew
requirements.
Under
the
terms
of
the
agreement,
CapRock
will
provide
the
fleet
with
voice
over
IP
(VoIP),
access
to
the
corporate
network
and
real-time
monitoring
and
reporting
capabilities
to
sustain
communications
between
vessels
and
the
company’s
Singapore
and
Oslo
offices.
As
in
most
maritime
installations,
crew
welfare
services
will
be
deployed
that
include
dedicated
bandwidth
for
Internet
and
prepaid
calling
cards
with
competitive
calling
rates.
In
addition,
BW
will
integrate
SafePass™,
CapRock’s
web
content-filtering
solution,
and
AssetTrax™,
CapRock’s
asset-tracking
solution;
both
services
were
leveraged
on
the
fleet’s
pilot
vessel.
“Throughout
the
pilot
program,
we
worked
hand-in-hand
with
the
BW
team
to
design
a
solution
that
not
only
supported
current
needs
but
also
continued
to
scale
as
the
business
grew,”
said
CapRock
President,
Maritime
Division,
Pal
Jensen.
“The
SeaAccess
service
line
was
created
specifically
to
meet
the
requirements
of
the
maritime
market
and
this
contract
is
testament
to
its
capabilities.
We’ve
built
a
solid
partnership
with
BW
and
we
look
forward
to
supporting
its
shipping
operations
with
reliable
communications
they
can
trust.”
