Sperry Marine Receives Orders for Fleet 77 Terminals

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Sperry Marine business unit has received an order from German shipowner Martime Gesellschaft für maritime Diensleistungen mbH to supply new-generation satellite communication systems for seven ships. The vessels -- four container ships, three gas tankers and one chemical tanker -- will be retrofitted with Sperry Marine's new digital NAVICOM F 77 marine satellite communication terminals, replacing the existing analogue Inmarsat-A systems. The Sperry Marine NAVICOM F 77 provides high-speed and cost-effective two-way voice and data communications between ship and shore using the new Inmarsat Fleet 77 satellite service. The system can support the mobile packet data service (MPDS) protocol with constant online access or a 64 kbps ISDN connection for uploading or downloading large data files. The systems will be installed and commissioned by Sperry Marine's worldwide network of marine service engineers. The lightweight, compact antenna unit and transceiver can easily be retrofitted without disrupting the ship's operating schedule.