Triton Diving Keeps Offshore Crews Connected with Hughes Maritime Broadband Solution

High-Speed Satellite Internet Service in Gulf of Mexico Provides Critical Communications

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Aug 09, 2010, 08:00 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Triton Diving Services, LLC is keeping its crews safer and delivering more proficient diving services to offshore customers thanks to the Hughes Maritime Broadband solution from Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, and Environmental & Safety Systems International (ESSI) Corporation, a systems integrator specializing in maritime industries.

Louisiana-based Triton provides a host of diving services to oil companies, derrick barges, government, and commercial vessels, and other businesses operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The company is outfitting its state-of-the-art fleet of vessels with high-speed Internet, data, VoIP, and video capabilities to provide critical ship-to-shore and diver-to-ship communications.

"We believe that all diving incidents are preventable, and our goal is to do zero harm to people and to the environment. That's why we equip our ships with the best available maritime technology. Hughes gives us the high performance and advanced network application capabilities needed to keep our crews safe and happy," said Gary Pouwels, vessel and equipment manager at Triton.

Triton has been active in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup. The new network will support this effort, as well as applications such as drilling rig inspections, underwater video feeds from divers, vessel tracking and measurement, and Wi-Fi for the boats' onboard Internet cafes. As Triton makes employee safety its top priority, one of the main applications of the Hughes Maritime Broadband solution will be to provide critical real-time data for Triton's Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Management System.

"High availability and high performance maritime solutions offered in a cost-effective package are what the Hughes Maritime Broadband solution is all about," said Vinod Shukla,

senior vice president, International, Hughes. "We are proud that Triton Diving Services has chosen Hughes as the preferred communications service provider for its fleet of diving vessels and look forward to working with them to continually enhance the capabilities and benefits for their crews on board."

Triton's broadband network and applications are fully managed by Hughes in partnership with ESSI Corporation. ESSI installed Hughes' marine-stabilized VSAT antennas on Triton's fleet of Diving Support Vessels (DSVs), which tracks the satellite and compensates for constant pitch and yaw movement of the vessels.

"A reliable, high-speed maritime network is a critical requirement as offshore support operations have become so dependent on real-time data communications capabilities for safety and regulatory compliance, not to mention supporting the morale of workers who can be offshore for days, weeks and even months at a time," said Kim Adams, president of ESSI Corporation.

About Triton

Triton Diving Services, LLC was founded in June 1999, to provide safe and proficient diving services to its customers. Since then it has acquired a fleet of vessels and has offices in Louisiana and Texas. Triton's fleet of vessels and divers supports diving in the Gulf of Mexico performing demolition, construction and inspections.

About ESSI

Environmental & Safety Systems International Corporation (ESSI), founded in 1991, is a global leader in the manufacturing, integration and fulfillment of navigational aids, SCADA, fire, smoke and gas detection, and communications systems for the Oil & Gas and Maritime industries. ESSI's unique and patented GPS-enabled smart buoys and FaradicWave fog horns are deployed for the largest energy companies around the world. ESSI is headquartered in Broussard, LA in the heart of the Gulf of Mexico energy corridor.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet encompasses all broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU standards organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 2.2 million systems to customers in over 100 countries.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: HUGH). For additional information, please visit www.hughes.com.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC