Caprock News

On rigs and offshore vessels, the safety of crew and passengers is a top priority in the energy industry. However, with the particularly hazardous environments of remote offshore worksites, accidents can happen, and it’s up to the operators to ensure their crew members are well-equipped to handle an emergency situation. One of the ways they can provide safe conditions on their assets is to invest in the newest, most advanced technologies with enhanced safety features and better automation, keeping more of their crew out of harm’s way.

Speedcast International Limited has announced two changes to its executive management team: Keith Johnson will become chief operating officer, and Erwan Emilian will lead the Enterprise & Emerging Markets division. Johnson, currently EVP of Speedcast’s Energy Division, will take over for David Kagan as chief operating officer, while also keeping his existing Energy Division responsibilities. Kagan leave Speedcast in early December for personal reasons, but will remain as an advisor to the CEO on a limited-time basis. Johnson joined Speedcast in 2014 after spending over 20 years at Harris CapRock Communications, where he held numerous senior operational roles, including heading global operations and business unit leadership roles.

Satellite communications and network service provider SpeedCast International Limited has announced the appointment of David Kagan to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) reporting to Chief Executive Officer Pierre-Jean Beylier. Kagan comes to SpeedCast from Globalstar, where he served as President and COO. Uniquely qualified as a result of his extensive industry experience, Kagan previously held C-level executive positions at ITC Global, Globe Wireless, Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN), ICG Satellite Services and Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd. Kagan is expected to start in March 2017, and joins during a key period as integration activities with Harris CapRock accelerate following the completion of the acquisition on January 1, 2017.

Cobham SATCOM and SpeedCast International Limited have concluded a global framework agreement covering the provision of maritime stabilized antennas, which offers high speed connectivity at sea. The commercial framework was awarded following a multi-vendor selection process by SpeedCast, based on a technical, commercial and supply chain evaluation criteria and will run three years. It is expected to generate a double-digit million-dollar figure in revenue for Cobham. SpeedCast…

SpeedCast acquisition of Harris CapRock creates a global and diversified leader in remote communications and network services. SpeedCast International Limited, a global satellite communications and network service provider, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Harris CapRock in a cash transaction valued at $425 million. Harris CapRock is a global stakeholder in the energy and maritime segments. The acquisition strengthens SpeedCast’s position in the maritime industry, in which Harris CapRock has a position in the fast-growing and bandwidth-hungry cruise sector, and creates a global leader in energy, positioning the company for future growth.

Trelleborg’s engineered products operation is now manufacturing a pre-bend rubber dredging hose in China – the only one of its kind available in the country, according to the manufacturer. Currently exclusive to Trelleborg’s Chinese manufacturing operation, all of Trelleborg’s pre-bend rubber dredging hoses manufactured in China will be reinforced with armored rings, thereby strengthening the hose and extending its use-life. Eddy Chen, Head of Asia Infrastructure Sales for Trelleborg’s engineered products operations…

Harris CapRock Communications, a provider of managed communications services for remote and harsh environments, has launched SafePass Pro, an advanced cyber security solution for proactive defense against cyberattacks targeting oil and gas IT infrastructures. The solution is also available for cruise, maritime and other commercial customers. Industry experts estimate cyber attacks against the global energy industry will cost businesses up to $1.9 billion by 2018. SafePass Pro improves network resources, minimizes malware and spyware, enables centralized control across all sites, enforces acceptable use and security policies (AUP), and provides an opportunity to assess and eliminate network vulnerabilities.

The launch yesterday of  the Intelsat 29e, the first of the Intelsat EpicNG high throughput satellites, promises to usher in a new era of "Big Data" in the maritime sector, among others. The satellite was launched from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle. Manufactured by Boeing and equipped with advanced digital payload, Intelsat 29e will bring high throughput capacity in both C- and Ku-band to North and Latin America and the North Atlantic region. Intelsat 29e will be placed into service at 310° East, where it replaces Intelsat 1R.

Major world stock markets were poised for their biggest weekly advance since 2011 on Friday, as greater investor appetite for riskier assets propelled gains in equities and a surge in commodities and crude oil prices. Declines in the dollar, a bullish oil forecast and giant miner Glencore's pledge Friday to slash world zinc output by 4 percent have lifted beaten-down commodities, with Brent crude oil headed for its biggest weekly rise since March 2009. The U.S. dollar hit a three-week low against the euro as minutes from the Federal Reserve's September policy meeting showed the Fed in no rush to raise interest rates. The MSCI all-country world equity index climbed 0.6 percent, for its eighth daily gain. It was up 4.3 percent for the week, its biggest weekly advance since 2011.

Commodities jumped on Friday, headed for their largest weekly gain in more than three years as base metals roared higher after Glencore pledged to slash zinc output and gold hit three-week highs after dovish Federal Reserve minutes. Surging metals offset a choppy oil market. Brent, the global benchmark, slipped on Friday under pressure from bargain hunting at the end of a big weekly increase. Base metals were "explosive" after Glencore's surprise announcement it will cut zinc output by 500,000 tonnes a year, removing 4 percent of global capacity, INTL FCStone analyst Ed Meir said. The news unleashed a wave of short covering across the London Metal Exchange as investors unwound bearish bets on weaker prices and ballooning oversupply as economic growth slows in China…

U.S. energy firms cut a surprisingly sharp 13 oil rigs this week, the first drop in seven weeks, as a renewed slump in prices this summer forced drillers to make a second round of cut-backs. The decline erases weeks of small gains and brings the total to the week ending Sept. 4 down to 662, the lowest since mid-July, oil services company Baker Hughes Inc said in its closely followed report on Friday. "Clearly the precipitous drop in oil prices has hit capital expenditures for new drilling in the U.S. with today's Baker Hughes rig count numbers. With prices remaining at relatively low levels without much relief in sight, we are likely going to see further declines," said Chris Jarvis, analyst at Caprock Risk Management in Frederick, Maryland. U.S.

Harris CapRock Communications launched the industry’s first unified, fully managed satellite, wireless and terrestrial connectivity service designed to reduce customers’ voice, data and equipment management costs. Customers in the energy and cruise industry need to obtain reliable, always-on communications when their vessels, drilling sites and ships change their global positions and communications needs. With Harris CapRock One, they can replace current single or dual-band communications…

While the true uptake of broadband across the maritime sector has been slow to develop, a number of market conditions are conspiring to drive the service mainstream. Intelsat’s Kurt Riegelman discusses the matter with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. While the advent of full broadband in the maritime sector is the exception rather than the norm, the tides are changing as companies increasingly deploy fast, modern ‘land-like’ comms in an effort to achieve everything from attracting and retaining crew, to streamlining business operations at sea and enhancing safety.

Harris CapRock Communications has launched Harris CapRock One, a unified, fully managed satellite, wireless and terrestrial connectivity service designed to reduce customers’ voice, data and equipment management costs. Harris CapRock One is an integrated end-to-end service that transparently switches between transport mediums to optimize communications for global customers. According to Harris CapRock, customers in the energy and cruise industry, for example, often struggle to obtain reliable, always-on communications when their vessels, drilling sites and ships change their global positions and communications needs. With Harris CapRock One, they can replace current single or dual-band communications support options with a multiple-medium solution.

For the fourth consecutive year, Harris CapRock Communications has been ranked number one on The Independent Top Twenty listing by the World Teleport Association (WTA). The company also ranked fifth on The Global Top Twenty in 2014 based on total revenue and year-over-year growth. “The WTA’s annual December announcement serves as a definitive marker of the state of the industry and the direction of its leading service providers in the year to come,” said Tracey Haslam, president, Harris CapRock Communications. “With teleports on six continents, we provide service coverage to nearly any point on the globe. Harris CapRock’s teleports consistently meet the highest requirements for Department of Defense and National Institute of Standards and Technology compliance for confidentiality…

Richard Simonian is the President of Maritime Solutions, a business unit within Harris CapRock Communications. MR picked his brain for insights on the shape and direction of maritime comms. We understand that you recently unveiled your Advanced VSAT solutions at Satellite 2014. Can you give us a brief on exactly what this is? The problem increasingly being faced by ship and rig operators is that their communication needs are dynamic, yet the traditional buying approach is static. They have had two choices.

MTN Communications (MTN) announces Santos Venegas has joined the company as general manager for its Oil and Gas Division. This appointment further solidifies MTN’s position in the market as a pioneer in communications technology spanning across various market segments. A 35-year industry veteran and respected consultant, Santos most recently served as managing director for Latin America at Harris CapRock. Prior to that role, he was director of Corporate Development. Serving the company for 28 years…

Harris CapRock Communications signed a five-year contract with Carnival Corp. to provide communications services onboard more than 100 cruise ships in its 10 cruise line brands. Harris will deploy a fully managed, end-to-end Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) solution utilizing the latest generation of iDirect technology, via a hybrid C- and Ku-band solution. Each ship will be equipped with stabilized antenna systems to provide the optimal level of flexibility and availability.

MTN Satellite Communications launched MTN Nexus, a next-generation comms network billed as a hybrid that integrates it with new terrestrial wireless technologies as well as sophisticated computing, powerful processing and specialized optimization. Targeting the high volume cruise sector, MR thought an apt time to sit down with CEO Errol Olivier to discuss Nexus and its relevance to communications at sea. We understand you are a maritime satcom industry veteran. Can you give our readers a briefing on your background serving this market?

Harris CapRock has completed fleet installation of its managed communications solutions onboard 33 Royal Caribbean Cruise vessels. Since the start of the project, the company has removed 48 legacy antennas, installed 86 new ones in ports all around the world and procured more than 59,000 individual components for the project. Harris CapRock has developed a new “card-less” crew-calling kiosk and voice platform which the Royal Caribbean crew has used to make more than three million calls totalling more than 24 million minutes to date. •    New systems significantly improve voice, video and data services. •    Solution includes 24/7 proactive monitoring and support from Harris CapRock’s global Customer Support Centers.

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) has  announced  the signing and renewal of multiple agreements with Harris CapRock, a provider of communications to remote and harsh environments, for the provision of satellite capacity services from its 1°West orbital location. Utlizing TSBc’s THOR 10-02 satellite, Harris CapRock provides capacity to serve a number of its strategic energy and maritime clients, offering high-powered coverage throughout Europe. “Over the past two years, TSBc has been working closely with Harris CapRock to deliver satellite capacity, for services to some of its most important customers,” said Morten Tengs, Vice President and CEO of TSBc.

Harris CapRock Communications, a premier global provider of managed communication solutions for remote and harsh environments, has signed a five-year contract with Carnival Corporation to provide communications services onboard more than 100 cruise ships in its 10 cruise line brands. The dual-band satellite communications solution will enable the Carnival brands to reach dramatically improved bandwidth levels to meet the performance expectations of guests and crew onboard. “At Carnival, our most important goal is to give our guests a great experience.

Provider of managed communication solutions for remote and harsh environments, Harris CapRock Communications has signed a multi-year contract with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd (DSME) to provide an integrated telecommunications solution supporting the Mafumeira Sul project off the coast of  Angola. Harris CapRock says it will provide equipment and design, integrate and test all telecommunication systems before deployment; install cable at multiple construction sites around the globe; and provide commissioning support off the coast of Angola.