Gulf Offshore Selects CapRock VSAT

CapRock Communications announced a three-year contract with Gulf Offshore – a wholly owned subsidiary of GulfMark Offshore Inc. – to deploy its broadband maritime service, SeaAccess Communications, onboard its fleet operating in the North Sea and along the coast of Africa. SeaAccess’ VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) services will enable GulfMark to extend its corporate IT network and applications to its vessels and provide onboard crew morale services.

The GulfMark Group operates significant fleets in the North Sea, Southeast Asia and the Americas. Having evolved into a global marine transportation provider focused on the continuous development of its technologically advanced fleet, deploying the always-on VSAT service is a natural extension of its mission.

“As we continue to grow our fleet and enter into new energy-producing regions, we need a communication service provider that can scale with our operations and provide support wherever we may go,” said Gulf Offshore General Manager Jim Bradford. “CapRock’s SeaAccess service grows with our vessels’ increasing bandwidth demands and supports our expanding fleet. Regardless of where our vessels are located, CapRock can provide local installation, connectivity and support.”

Under terms of the agreement, CapRock will provide the Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs) and general support vessels with a managed turnkey service enabling voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Internet access, e-mail service and corporate networking capabilities. These services will allow the real-time exchange of critical reports and monitoring of data. Gulf Offshore also will leverage the service for crew morale needs, providing Internet access and crew-calling solutions, with competitive phone tariffs, to their onboard crew. A combination of Ku and C-band services will be deployed based on whether the vessel will be operating in the same region or traversing between different regions.

(www.caprock.com)