Norway's Ship Equip reaches 1000 th order miestone for its SEVSAT system

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

30 Jun 2010

Ship Equip has reached an important milestone in staking its claim as the world’s fastest growing provider of maritime broadband communications, announcing the 1000th order for its SEVSAT system.  The increasingly popular SEVSAT solution (which stands for Ship Equip VSAT) provides reliable and cost-effective satellite communications for a wide variety of vessels at sea.  Core markets for Ship Equip include shipping, commercial fisheries, offshore oil/gas and megayachts.
Ship Equip’s 1000th SEVSAT order came as part of a recently signed large fleet contract for 67 vessels.  The milestone-reaching order culminated several years of accelerated growth for the company, based in Ålesund Norway with offices in Oslo, Houston, Seattle, Singapore, London and Reykjavik.   Since its initial launch in 2003, SEVSAT has gained steady acceptance and increasing momentum, to the point where today as many as 30 new SEVSAT and SETVRO (TV Receive Only) systems are installed monthly.  Ship Equip has recorded impressive revenue gains even during the recent global economic downturn, including 29-percent growth in 2009.
”We have seen a steady growth in orders since the launch,” said Ship Equip Chief Executive Officer Ivar Nesset .  ”It started with mainly Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs) and fishing vessels, and gradually shipping fleets have become a more important customer segment.  In offshore, the needs were partly dictated by the oil majors, who needed  broadband to transfer data from the oil fields to land offices.  Fishing vessels began to lose crew to the OSV’s and ordered VSAT to retain their experienced workforce.  In shipping, the picture is more mixed, with some ship owners installing SEVSAT to improve operational efficiency, some to enable online systems at sea and some to attract and retain a younger crew who are dependent on online communications.”
“The SEVSAT solution now consists of a variety of services suitable for different needs,” explained Ship Equip Chief Sales Officer Gilles A. Gillesen.  “VSAT no longer has to be a high end solution.  Payments from crew through prepaid services like Ship Equip Crew Calling contribute to keeping the cost of a SEVSAT system on par with dial up limited bandwidth systems.  This has been confirmed through high profile ship owners who now benefitting from VSAT as a cost efficient solution.  In addition, our ability to offer flexibility in bandwidth means that ship owners will never get locked into a capacity that is not right for their ships,” added Gillesen.
According to Ship Equip Vice President/Americas Stein Oro, the company’s rapid growth stems from providing the best solutions for its maritime customers’ needs. “We’re growing because we keep mariners in touch with the world onshore and help vessel operators run their businesses effectively and efficiently,” said Oro.  “Vessels in the markets we serve aren’t just ships — they are floating businesses at sea.  Whether it’s an Offshore Support Vessel working a deepwater gas platform, a cargo carrier or a fishing boat on the Bering Sea, these vessels are extensions of their land offices.  And they have the same critical communications needs,” he added.
The new contracts add to an order backlog in excess of 200 vessels and come on top of 800 systems already installed and in operation.   Ship Equip is ramping up activity on several fronts to meet this increased demand.

Source: Ship Equip