Allseas’ Pieter Schelte vessel during sea trials. Photo: Speedcast

[Via Satellite 11-07-2014] Allseas Group, a provider of offshore pipeline installation and subsea construction, has awarded a satellite service contract to SpeedCast International, a global satellite telecommunications service provider. The deal covers Allseas’ flagship vessel, the Pieter Schelte, which took to the seas for the first time for sea trials in September. SpeedCast will provide high-performance satellite broadband connectivity for mission-critical communications between the vessel and the land-based operations.

SpeedCast designed a customized communications solution to meet the requirements of Allseas for the Pieter Schelte, which include operational and ship management applications, as well as crew communications. SpeedCast’s solution uses dual maritime VSAT systems, with frequency diversity, including C-band and Ku-band, as well as an L-band backup. The solution provides full system and equipment redundancy for both data and voice services to deliver guaranteed reliability under all operational conditions.

In June 2010 Allseas selected South Korean shipyard Daewoo to build the Pieter Schelte. Delivery of the completed vessel is expected at the end of 2014, ready for offshore operations in the summer of 2015. The Pieter Schelte measures 1,253 feet in length and 384 feet in width and was designed to lift oil rigs out of the water and move them to shore for disposal. SpeedCast is already serving the rest of the Allseas fleet: Solitaire, Audacia, Lorelay Calamity Jane and Tog Mor.