SpeedCast Delivers Custom Solution to Allseas
Satellite telecommunications service provider SpeedCast International Limited has been awarded a satellite service contract by Allseas Group S.A., an offshore pipeline installation and subsea construction company. The contract covers Allseas’ flagship vessel, the Pieter Schelte, one the world’s largest ships, which took to the seas for the first time for sea trials in September. The satellite service provides broadband connectivity for mission-critical communications between the vessel and the land-based operations.
In June 2010 Allseas, which operates a fleet of dynamically positioned pipelay and support vessels including the world’s largest pipelayer Solitaire, awarded the contract for building its dynamically positioned platform installation/ decommissioning and pipelay vessel Pieter Schelte to the South Korean shipyard Daewoo. Delivery of the completed topsides lift and pipelay vessel is expected at the end of 2014, ready for offshore operations in the summer of 2015. At 382 meters (1,253 ft) in length and 124 meters (384 ft) in width, it is the largest ship by area ever built. SpeedCast is already serving the rest of the Allseas fleet: Solitaire, Audacia, Lorelay Calamity Jane and Tog Mor.
The Pieter Schelte was designed to lift oil rigs out of the water and move them to shore for disposal. The massive vessel can lift topsides, the upper section of an oil rig, weighing up to 48,000 tons, and can also lift jackets, the bottom section of rigs, weighing 25,000 tons. It can then transport the top and bottom sections of the oil rig to shore. The vessel is able to raise and lower itself in the water by 25 meters (82 ft) in order to manage the huge weight demands of moving an oil rig. Pieter Schelte also boasts a pipelay tension capacity of 2,000 tons, making it the largest pipelay vessel in the world. Top speed is 14 knots (25.9 km/h) and it can accommodate a crew of 571 people.
SpeedCast designed a customized communications solution to meet the unique requirements of Allseas for the Pieter Schelte, which include operational and ship management applications, as well as crew communications. SpeedCast’s advanced solution utilizes dual maritime VSAT systems, with frequency diversity, including C-band and Ku-band, as well as an L-band backup, to provide Allseas with a highly reliable, highly resilient communication solution with world-wide coverage. The solution provides full system and equipment redundancy for both data and voice services to deliver guaranteed reliability under all operational conditions.
“We are thrilled to be working with Allseas on such an impressive vessel,” said Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast. “It is a testament to SpeedCast’s ability to deliver highly complex and customized solutions on vessels with unique requirements. We thank Allseas for their continued trust in SpeedCast and for this latest milestone in our long-term working relationship.”
