Marlink signs Sealink deal with Wilhelmsen Ship Management

30 May 2008

Marlink, announced an agreement to provide the Sealink Maritime VSAT solution to Wilhelmsen Ship Management (WSM), market leader for the international transportation of vehicles at sea and part of Wilhelmsen Maritime Services, a Wilh. Wilhelmsen group company.

Marlink will equip 30 Wilhelmsen Ship Management vessels with Sealink, a global maritime VSAT turnkey solution, offering "always-on" Internet access and Local Area Network (LAN) communications at a fixed monthly price. Sealink also provides PSTN telephone lines with standard fixed per-minute charges.

Wilhelmsen Ship Management currently manages approximately 300 ships, of which 185 are under full technical management. The company employs 8,600 seagoing personnel.

Wilhelmsen Ship Management has tested the quality and reliability of the Sealink system over a 12-month period on board their roll-on roll-off vehicle carrier, the "MV Tampa".

"Marlink's Sealink solution has successfully provided the MV Tampa with telephone and data connectivity in all weather conditions as it made its course around the world," said Hans Christian Siltvedt, HSEQ Superintendent at WSM. "It has become indispensable in addressing our communications needs on board."

More specifically, the Sealink Maritime VSAT services for WSM include dedicated global satellite bandwidth, separated between crew and administration. Crew has access to always-on, free Internet for applications such as web browsing, e-mail exchange and net-banking, as well as multiple telephone lines for crew calling services. For business and administrative purposes, LAN-LAN data communications on board are in place via Sealink, as are multiple direct dial telephone lines.