OilOnline Manager posted on 12/17/2009
Marlink has signed a new contract Hornbeck Offshore Services, LLC for the supply of communications for two of its Multi Purpose Support Vessels. These are the third and fourth vessels in the Hornbeck fleet to be served by Marlink.
The HOS Iron Horse and HOS Strongline support the oil and gas industry in exploration and production activities, providing complex deepwater services for subsea construction, installation and other sophisticated operations mainly in the Gulf of Mexico, but could be mobilized to any region of the world based on customer needs. The DP-3 HOS Iron Horse is fitted with a variety of lifting and deployment systems including large capacity cranes. The DP-2 HOS Strongline is expected to be delivered shortly to Hornbeck from the shipyard. Reliable worldwide communications are an essential element of the ships' safe and successful work at sea.
Marlink will provide its customized Sealink(TM) systems on either C or Ku-band for the 36 month contract. The system on each vessel has 16 voice lines, VLANS for administration and crew, together with content filtering and Juniper WXC 250 accelerators which compress data to make greatest use of online time and maximising cost efficiency. Reflecting the different operational needs of the two vessels, HOS Iron Horse has a dual antenna while HOS Strongline a single antenna system.
Tore Morten Olsen, CEO of Marlink commented, "This is an important contract for us, not only because it continues to expand the business relationship with this fast growing deepwater customer in the USA, but it also shows how Sealink(TM) can be customised to meet the needs of the operator. We have worked with Hornbeck for some time to ensure all the latest elements of satellite communications are built into the system and are tailored to meet the specific needs of the client company. We have considerable experience in the oil and gas industry which was a critical element in Hornbeck's criteria for appointing Marlink."