Leading Turkish shipping services provider Manta Denizcilik Nakliyat ve Ticaret Ltd. Şti. (Manta Shipping) has selected Marlink to provide Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service on eight of its vessels. The agreement was signed through Marlink’s local partner Ozsay Satellite to support Manta Shipping’s drive towards digitalised shipping operations and increased connectivity for crew.

Marlink will provide the high-throughput Ka-band VSAT with a bundled L-Band back-up solution, both of which will benefit from Marlink’s enhanced network transparency, which provides users and shore staff with immediate information on which network is in use for specific tasks.

This unique tool enables ship and shore staff to analyse usage and prioritise data intensive downloads when in the areas of strongest VSAT coverage. Applications such as remote diagnostics security updates or software updates can be planned and scheduled according to which carrier is active. Over time, users can monitor coverage in different regions, prioritising enterprise or crew usage based on the active carrier.

Marlink will also provide its own high quality voice service, configured to provide local Turkish telephone numbers for the ships, which provides added flexibility of two voice communications options, allowing the ship to focus on cost efficiency or highest quality. To complete the package, Manta Shipping will benefit from a Virtual Private Network connection via the XChange platform and Marlink’s SkyFile email service.

Manta Shipping provides a complete range of shipping services, including brokerage, supplying high quality transport solutions to a portfolio of clients, having established its reputation as one of the most reliable names in domestic and international marine transportation.

The company operates in the highly competitive Handy/Supra and Kamsarmax bulk carrier market, where operational efficiency and access to the latest market information can be critical to securing employment and sailing with maximum efficiency. By migrating from L-Band to Fleet Xpress provided by Marlink, Manta Shipping will benefit from high throughput and global coverage, keeping crew and operations connected wherever its vessels sail and maintaining the highest standards of safety and compliance.

“Manta Shipping is a company with a long history that also has to change and adapt as the shipping industry moves into a phase of increased regulation, greater demand for fuel efficiency and higher environmental performance,” says Mr Mecit Mert Çetinkaya, Director of Manta Shipping.“Fleet Xpress from Marlink will enable us to optimise our communications, keeping our ships and crews connected, updated and compliant so we are able to best focus on the needs of our customers.”

“Marlink’s tailored Fleet Xpress package delivers the kind of high bandwidth that the shipping industry is embracing as the drive towards digitalisation speeds up, enabling faster and easier data transfer and access to new applications,” said Tore Morten Olsen, President, Maritime, Marlink. “Working with our local partner Ozsay Satellite puts us in an excellent position to understand the needs of Turkish owners and consistently meet those needs with innovative solutions.”