Mediterranean Shipping Company Renews Global Network Contract with Orange Business Services for Five Years

25 May 2010

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) signed a 5-year contract renewal for Business VPN, a fully-managed, secure, global IP infrastructure from Orange Business Services. The solution provides MSC an MPLS-based network for 65 sites in 30 countries. Additionally, the shipping company will test the Maritime Satellite Service from Orange Business Services in a 2-year pilot.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC is a privately-owned shipping line that employs over 30,000 staff and is the second largest carrier with respect to container slot capacity and the number of container vessels operated, 404 in early May 2010. Moreover MSC Cruises is a leader in the Mediterranean cruise market, sailing in the region throughout the year, as well as offering a wide range of seasonal itineraries in Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, North America and Canada, South America, the Indian Ocean, as well as South and West Africa. MSC has been an Orange Business Services customer for 10 years and the renewal underlines the strong relationship between the two companies, recognizes the good performance from Orange Business Services and acknowledges a compelling quality/price ratio.

To complement the renewal, MSC is participating in a 2-year pilot to test the Maritime Satellite Service from Orange Business Services. As part of its satellite services strategy, Orange Business Services offers Maritime Satellite Service, transforming maritime communications by fully integrating its satellite solution with Business VPN. This satellite service provides real-time broadband services to vessels wherever they are. MSC will equip one of its ships with the maritime VPN solution. Unlike other providers, Orange Business Services integrates satellite and terrestrial services, enabling customers to mix all types of access so that any site on land or sea can be connected directly to a secure IP VPN.

MSC CIO André Simha said: “We have a presence in each major harbor around the globe. So for us the global know-how and unmatched geographic footprint of Orange Business Services is crucial. They are a real trusted partner for us.”

Peter Moebius, vice president and country manager, Orange Business Services Switzerland, commented: “This contract renewal proves that we are a reliable and experienced partner that is capable of helping global companies such as MSC with all of their networking needs. We are very pleased with the global network renewal but are especially pleased that we have expanded our scope to provide a fully-integrated maritime solution on a pilot basis.”