Marlink Renews Contract With MSC Cruises
Marlink has recently renewed its contract with Italian Cruise Company MSC Cruises for a further three years. As part of the contract, Marlink will install its Sealink VSAT services onboard more vessels, as well as expand its services to include several value-added services to benefit crew and passengers.
“It has become critical for us to have high-quality, reliable satellite communications onboard our ships. The high-bandwidth connectivity provided by Marlink’s Sealink solution enables us to connect vessels with our offices on land to improve operational efficiency. The solution also enables us to provide passengers and crew onboard with cost-effective voice, Internet and email services so that they can stay in touch with friends and family ashore,” comments Emilio La Scala, General Manager of MSC Cruises Technical Department.
Marlink’s contract renewal with MSC Cruises will include the delivery, installation and operation of Marlink’s global Sealink C-band VSAT solution onboard the new build ‘MSC Magnifica’. Marlink will also continue to provide Sealink VSAT on ten of MSC’s ships and will expand services on each ship, providing more than twenty simultaneous telephone channels, third-party GSM access and Internet access with link optimizing and content filtering services for administration, crew and passenger use. Additionally, the Sealink system provides direct administration MPLS access in the terrestrial network to MSC’s head office LAN and telephone system in Sorrento, Italy.
Commenting on the contract renewal, Tore Morten Olsen, CEO Marlink, said: “I am delighted that we are renewing our long-standing relationship with MSC Cruises. Our strong position within the European cruise and ferry market is testament to our ability to provide exceptional value through high quality, reliable satellite communications solutions which can be customized to meet individual ship operator requirements.”