Marlink, the smart solutions company, has signed an agreement to provide hybrid network connectivity services to at least 100 ships operated by shipmanager Thome Group. The contract will guarantee that the vessels are equipped with Marlink’s high speed VSAT service as well as L-band back-up to ensure flexible guaranteed bandwidth at all times.
Based in Singapore, the Thome Group is a global provider of integrated ship management, as well as offshore management, oil and gas marine services and crewing – offering a complete range of services and products under one roof with about 200 vessels under full technical management.
Thome selected Marlink as the trusted provider to streamline and harmonise data services across the fleet, accelerating its digitalisation strategy and collecting business critical operational data required for smart vessel operations. The new contract also ensures that Thome managed vessels have sufficient bandwidth to keep crew connected with family and friends. 
Central to its decision to consolidate its connectivity strategy, Thome sought a global provider with a future-proof strategy, reflecting Marlink’s agreements to provide new LEO and MEO services as part of its hybrid solutions, enabling Thome to utilise Marlink’s digital services portfolio in the near future.
By choosing Marlink as provider, Thome can also tailor the service offered to each shipping company from a variety of service levels. Key to providing this new standard of connectivity for Thome Group is Marlink’s use of a flexible Committed Information Rate(CIR) to deploy guaranteed bandwidth which can be adjusted based on the vessel's data demand.