Russian energy shipping company Sovcomflot has chosen Orange Business Services (OBS) to deliver satellite connectivity for eight of its ships operating in the Arctic, including two of the country's largest oil tankers. With a fleet of 146 vessels, the state-owned company said that this initial roll-out will enable the transmission of telemetry data from on-board cameras and sensors to its operations centre, located in Saint Petersburg. This will help monitor the condition of the ships in real time and choose the best route, based on factors such as weather and sea ice movements.
OBS said that the maritime VSAT service provided to Sovcomflot offers the advantage of automatically connecting to the highest quality network available, supporting crew welfare and safety in a remote region such as the Arctic.