Global Ship Manager E.R. Schiffahrt Chooses KVH HTS Systems and
AgilePlans for Vessel Connectivity
Feb. 08, 2018
KVH Industries, Inc., has chosen
KVH’s new advanced TracPhone®
V7-HTS antenna equipment and the AgilePlansTM
subscription-based Connectivity as a Service (CaaS) program to
bring fast, global connectivity to its container and dry bulk
vessels. Installations for the first 11 vessels have begun, with
plans for a total of up to 60 vessels throughout 2018.
“We chose KVH for the fast data speed, the reliable data
management, the global coverage, and our experience with KVH as
a trusted and proven professional service provider,” says
Christoph Werner, director of marine & quality for E.R.
Schiffahrt, which is based in Hamburg, Germany. “We see the very
nature and flexibility of KVH’s AgilePlans program as a great
benefit to our business.”
The AgilePlans program provides
equipment and airtime for one monthly airtime fee, with no
commitment; installation at select ports and maintenance costs
are included. KVH, a mobile tech innovator, designed the
TracPhone V7-HTS for the mini-VSAT Broadbandsm
network, which recently added high throughout satellite (HTS)
capacity. The 60-cm TracPhone V7-HTS provides download speeds of
up to 10 Mbps and upload speeds of 3 Mbps, enabling vessels to
benefit from marine applications designed to improve operational
efficiency.
“Our close and long-term relationship with E.R. Schiffahrt was
the foundation for moving forward to work together on satcoms,”
says Rob Parkin, maritime sales director for KVH. E.R.
Schiffahrt has been a customer of KVH’s CommBoxTM
network management service, as well as a subscriber to other KVH
services, including NEWSlinkTM
daily newspapers for seafarers and VideotelTM
maritime training programs.
Thomas Plueschau, KVH’s sales manager for Germany, has played a
key role in coordinating the initial AgilePlans order installed
at the Port of Hamburg. AgilePlans includes free standard
installations at select ports around the world, important for a
global ship management company such as E.R. Schiffahrt. “We are
thrilled that our AgilePlans program with extensive coverage,
fast data speeds, and proven data management, combined with the
new TracPhone V7-HTS system, were ideally suited to E.R.
Schiffahrt’s fleet needs,” says Mr. Plueschau.
