Situation
Subsea7 travels to some of the world's most remote marine locations to provide construction, diving, pipelay and remotely operated vehicle (ROV)/survey services. Because Subsea7 operates in relatively dangerous environments, the company needs reliable voice and data communications.
Problem
The company recognized that its VSAT systems were becoming obsolete and due for replacement. This was a prime opportunity to upgrade to better, more reliable communications worldwide. In fact, for the company to remain competitive, the new systems needed to be operational quickly, but the provider needed to be fast - and reliable.
Solution
"Working from a ship for any length of time is considerably more efficient with reliable broadband communications to the outside world," said Subsea7 Global IT Manager Anders From. "We chose CapRock Communications based on their track record of reliability and their ability to demonstrate significant savings. They gave us a system with unparalleled quality, creating value for our customers and employees who can easily work from any vessel in the Subsea7 fleet with communications tailored to their project needs."
CapRock is the single provider of both dedicated and bandwidth-on-demand connectivity for Subsea7 ships around the world. CapRock's flexible network provides ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications with voice and high-speed data connections provisioned as needed. For Subsea7, CapRock manages these services from a Network Operations Center (NOC) in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Results
"It's clear that the efficiency and clarity of the new systems are very good," said Subsea7 Project Manager John Morrison. "The feedback from the vessels and onshore operators has been positive."
In addition, Subsea7 likes CapRock's relationship-based approach to providing service.
"Ensuring that the products and services were of a high standard was extremely important," Morrison said. "But, beyond that, we were interested in contracting with a company with whom we could establish a strong relationship. From the beginning, CapRock Communications was focused on building a good working relationship with us."
Another benefit of the CapRock systems is forward-thinking technology. Because Subsea7's prior communications systems were not upgradeable, they had to be replaced altogether. That's not the case with CapRock.
"One of the major benefits with the CapRock systems is that if we wish to upgrade this equipment in the future, then the option is available," Morrison said. "That creates a cost savings in the long run."
"Our experience with CapRock has been a good one," Morrison added. "We look forward to the future business opportunities we'll enjoy as a result of using the CapRock service."
