Colombian Combat Ship ARC Nariño Arrives Home After Braving 11,000-Nautical-Mile Trip Under Severe Weather Conditions

Vessel navigated safely around typhoons and hurricanes thanks to Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband maritime communications system

Bahia Malaga, Colombia, October 13, 2014 –Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos welcomed on Saturday the new combat ship ARC Nariño, and as a former naval officer, he probably recognized instantly the treacherous journey the vessel had braved on its trip halfway around the world. The ship was commissioned by the Colombian Navy from South Korea, and thanks to Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT.L), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, and its flagship maritime communications system FleetBroadband, the ship was able to navigate safely around typhoons and hurricanes without ever losing voice and data connectivity.

Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband service provided dependable, seamless voice and broadband data coverage for the ARC Nariño during the entire 11,000 nautical miles separating the Port of Jinhae, South Korea, where the vessel was commissioned, to its final destination in Bahia Malaga in the Colombian Pacific.

The ship’s journey was square in the path of particularly severe and closely-spaced inclement weather conditions, including Typhoon Halong off the coast of the Philippines and Hurricane Odile, the most intense land-falling tropical cyclone to impact the Baja California peninsula in the modern era.

Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband system played an instrumental role in the safety of the ship, ensuring reliable external communications during the trip halfway around the world. The satellite communication system’s uninterrupted internet and voice service also allowed constant interaction between crew members and their families even when the vessel was navigating the remotest expanses of the Pacific Ocean. The unit’s permanent access to the Internet allowed for constant monitoring of conditions, enabling the crew to make timely navigational decisions.

“On behalf of the crew of the ARC Nariño, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to Inmarsat, and in particular its Global Government unit, for providing the ARC Nariño with the operational and crew communications we needed to help keep us safe during an extremely dangerous journey,” said Captain Orlando A. Cubillos Chacón, Commanding Officer of ARC Nariño of the Colombian Navy. “The FleetBroadband system performed flawlessly, and we look forward to having it continue to accompany us for many more journeys to come.”

For more information on the FleetBroadband system, contact local distributor Satcom Colombia at www.satcomcolombia.com, satcom@satcomcolombia.com or +(571) 603 4400.

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