BRIESE SCHIFFAHRT IS FIRST IN EUROPE

To INSTAL FLEETBROADBAND150

Briese Schiffahrt, the German ship operator based in Leer is celebrating becoming the first company in EUROPE to fit Inmarsat’s Fleetbroadband 150 service on coastal vessel ‘SAXUM’.

The decision by Mr Holger Boerchers, the IT Manager for Briese Schiffahrt to upgrade to Inmarsat high speed data connect technology from the voice centric Iridium option was made because of the increasing volume of data communications the company vessels were experiencing over email and the escalating costs of beyond U$1,000 a month for data traffic over the old system.

An innovator by nature, Mr Boerchers has been with Briese for seven years and is responsible for the IT infrastructure of the vessels, providing contracts for telephone systems, satellite communication and software.  Last year he overhauled the satellite communications service and purchased satellite airtime from OTESAT and the e-mail application from Telaurus LLC in a move that reduced costs, increased flexibility and provided crew pre-paid internet browsing.

It is anticipated that Briese will become the first  company in the world to retrofit FB150 across its fleet. The performance of FB 150 onboard  SAXUM will be closely evaluated by Briese’s IT and Inspection departments  as well as Master Leonid Maximov who is the first employee in Briese to use the service.

Holger Boercher said: “After seeing the performance and efficiencies of FleetBroadband’s voice and data plus our crews experience with the FB500, I am planning to replace the older less efficient satcom technology with FB150 this year. I believe that our ROI will be achieved in under 12-months which given today’s financial climate meets the needs of Mr Briese and our management team.”

The world’s first FB150 installation took place earlier this month in Batam, Indonesia at the Jalan Brigien Katamso shipyard on the offshore supply tug Midyn Enterprise.

Both the first FB150 in Europe and, in the world, are within the target tonnage and profile of Inmarsat’s FB150 core customer.

The SAXUM was fitted with a Thrane & Thrane Sailor 150 FleetBroadband terminal and antenna,  IP handset and cradle when it arrived in Leer for a 24-36 hour stopover having delivered 2,598,820 mts of granite cargo from Leixoes. Nordic IT managing director Heiko Hoefer put the sim card in the phone and watched by representatives from Inmarsat and OTESAT-MARITEL Holger Boerchers made and received the first calls.

The vessel is expected to sail from north Germany with a cargo of wind turbine components to Portugal and then on to Canada.

Briese Schiffahrt, is the third largest shipping company in Leer, Germany and manages around 87 multipurpose, container and research vessels between 3,000 and 21,000 mt dwat. Founded in 1983 by Roelf Briese, the company which is respected for its best in class fully integrated maritime operations, has been a long standing Iridium customer. Technology innovation within Briese drove the change which will doubtless be monitored by its 12 shipping competitors who share the famous Harbour Street with Briese and its charter operation, BBC.

Inmarsat recognises that Briese endeavours to maintain a modern fleet with an average age of five years and is an adventurous pioneer of new technology.  Commenting on the company’s continual innovation Master Maximov was visibly  impressed that the speed of this new data communication was 75 times faster than the previous service.

In addition to FB150 Briese has five FB500 on order for new vessels being built in China and Vietnam in a smart move to future proof the communications capabilities of its latest additions to the fleet.

This month in addition to the ‘SAXUM’ Briese will fit an FB150 to-one of its container ships, the ‘LANGENESS’ before it returns to global duties. Built in 2006 this 17.002 mt dwat vessel has a cargo capacity of 1402 TEU.

Nordic IT Marine, Hamburg,  masterminded the sale and, according to Heiko Hoefer, owner of Nordic IT, the hardware costs and service charges have been priced competitively for the market.  Says Hoefer: “ The FB150 is targeted at the sub-$5000 market.  Like the popular FB 250, the FB150 is highly compact and easy to install.  Installation on the SAXUM took less than 3.5 hours and we expect the LANGENESS job to take even less time. “

Commenting on his decision Holger Boerchers said:  “ We are delivering communication convenience and flexibility to our crews who demand, and deserve, reliable connectivity, easy-to-use software, dependable voice and consistent data.  By specifying FB 150 we have made  sure that world-wide news and recreational content of the highest quality will  enjoyed, uninterrupted,  by Briese crews around the world.”

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About Inmarsat

Inmarsat plc (LSE: ISAT) is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications.  Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organisations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air.  The company’s services are delivered through a global network of more than 500 distribution partners and service providers operating in 180 countries.  For the year ended 31 December 2007, Inmarsat plc had total revenue of US$ 576.5 million.  More information can be found at www.inmarsat.com.

For more information, please contact:

John Warehand, Inmarsat plc. +44 7739 778128

john_warehand@inmarsat.com