6 March 2003 -- IP and data services supplier Equant has completed the initial phase of a five-year, "multimillion euro" contract with Bergesen d.y. ASA, the world's largest owner and operator of gas tankers, based in Oslo, Norway.
Bergesen is using Equant IP VPN to provide any-to-any connectivity for users at its headquarters in Oslo, as well as those in Manila, Mumbai, Paris and Riga. Sites in the United States and Japan may be added in the future.
The tanker company will use Equant IP VPN to run global applications that control and manage its vast fleet of tankers. Bergesen d.y ASA runs a 24-hour-a-day operation, as a company with more than 3,500 employees, a fleet of about 100 vessels and offices in Europe and Asia.
"We have vessels in traffic all over the world at all times. That makes a safe and efficient network essential to us," said Jan Waage, Bergesen's director of IT.
"A problem might arise somewhere far away at an unfavourable hour to us at the headquarters in Norway. Equant was the only provider that could offer local teams at all our locations, which is of vital importance for us."
Detlef Spang, Equant's senior vice president of Markets and Sales, Western Europe, said, "Our local teams throughout the world will be working closely with Bergesen to ensure that our IP VPN solution meets their business needs and helps them maximise their return on investment."