ITC Global, a leading provider of satellite communications to remote and challenging environments, has recently announced that it has completed installation and commissioning of communications systems for 35 rigs in the Shelf Drilling, Ltd fleet. Shelf Drilling is the world's second largest contractor of independent-leg cantilever jack-up rigs. Headquartered in Dubai, Shelf Drilling has rig operations in 12 countries, across four core operating regions – Southeast Asia, India, West Africa and the Middle East, North Africa and Mediterranean.
Following a contract award, signed in August 2014, ITC Global outfitted Shelf Drilling's globally dispersed rigs with a fully managed communications system which is custom designed to support corporate and crew communications via a TDMA private network solution. The transition of the entire 35 rig fleet was completed over a nine-month period.
Comment from ITC Global
"Our goal was to provide maximum flexibility for Shelf Drilling before, during and after deployment – both in terms of capacity and geographic coverage," said Joe Spytek, Chief Executive Officer at ITC Global. "Our deployment team was able to migrate services from the incumbent in a short timeframe, minimising downtime, and now that we've successfully completed the fleet transition, we're seeing a significantly enhanced end-user experience on the rigs."
Comment from Shelf Drilling
"ITC Global worked closely with us to shape a solution that addressed our key business needs, providing a fit-for purpose solution driven by cost-efficient ways of operating, helping us to get the most from our VSAT communications network," said Ian Clydesdale, Director IT, Shelf Drilling.
Adapted from press release by Cecilia Rehn