A large worldwide ocean transport and dry cargo specialist, Spliethoff has selected AST to supply their fleet of more than 80 vessels across multiple fleets with AST's global satellite communications.

Together with network partner ITC Global, AST will provide Spliethoff with a global Ku- VSAT network, failover L-band services, hardware and bandwidth as well as 24/7 manned support.  As a subsidiary of Panasonic, ITC Global leverages its parent company’s broadband network, that is purpose-built and designed specifically for global mobility markets.

Peter Van de Venne, Spliethoff's Director IT said that changes in the airtime market, forced them to look for a new solution quicker than anticipated. AST proved to be a professional provider, willing to go the extra mile and adapting to Spliethoff's needs/requirements.

Spliethoff reported that AST’s reliable, comprehensive, global network and excellent customer service were key considerations for their company, as was the ability to complete the network migration quickly and without any disruption of service. AST Marine Networks are specialists in building custom solutions, integrating hardware, software and airtime packages, and successfully completed a seamless migration of the Spliethoff network with no downtime or interruption of service.

The AST Group provides satellite communication solutions, offering a suite of services such as their award winning IRIS and INTEGRA solutions.  

Van de Venne added that the migration went very smoothly (about 80 ships in nearly 2 weeks), and that after migration, the support organization indeed proved proactive and thorough. When visiting AST, it was a pleasure seeing that support tickets were not evaluated on the speed of closing, but on the actual evaluation feedback from the end customer.

Peter added that they look forward to working with AST towards a next generation internet connectivity on board in which they address challenges like improved cyber security, multiple supplier remote access, broadening sensor data requirements and video applications. 

AST also welcome the opportunity to work with Spliethoff. AST Director, Stuart Castell, said that Spliethoff is a tech-savvy and forward-thinking organization, well-respected for their reliability and high-quality standards. AST is proud to add a company of Spliethoff’s stature and reputation to their ever-growing portfolio of maritime VSAT customers.