
Groningen Contracts Castor Marine to Outfit 30 Vessels With Global and EU 4g Connectivity Packages
Shipping Company Groningen (SCG) has contracted offshore connectivity provider Castor Marine to deliver a hybrid 4G and satellite internet solution to enhance onboard crew welfare and improve operational efficiency.
SCG Manager says, “We chose Castor Marine because of the pleasant cooperation, correct pricing, and their responsive way of working which ensures the technical solution we were looking for was customised to our fleet. Actually, some of our captains have already reported that they had 4G connectivity at 45 nautical miles from the coast. We are looking forward to see the system installed and men be able to forget about connection issues for their crews.”
On its fleet, SCG offers its personnel a Crew Welfare Zone with free internet within the 12-mile (40 km) zone. To realise this, SCG wanted a plug-and-play, cost-efficient system that is always operational and doesn't interfere with the crew's activities.
To make this happen, a seamless transition between 4G coverage within the 12-mile zone and the Inmarsat FleetBroadband (or Iridium Open Port L-Band satellite connection) outside that zone was needed. Castor Marine’s 40 Connectivity Package, including dedicated software installed on the Peplink routers, ensures a seamless failover of connectivity between the 4G and satellite connection. Hence, the crew doesn't notice the transition and simply can get on with their work. Furthermore, the connection allows for real-time data insights from any device.
When Clemens Res and Marc van Gemert from SCG’s IT department sought advice about a 4G service for the crew, Castor Marine proposed a hybrid connectivity solution switching between 4G LTE and L-band.

Raymon Lubbers, Sales Director at Castor Marine, says: “With our system, you’ll never have to check if an internet connection is still running when it shouldn’t. The services and equipment we deliver have to work, always. Both as crew members and in the office, you don’t notice these things until they don’t work. We strive, on every vessel, to never reach that point. That is why we have tested and certified the 4G solution extensively. It is also the reason our Support Network Operating Centre is on call 24/7.”
For those more technically inclined: no matter where the vessel is or with which network it is connected, the software ensures that a VPN tunnel continues to exist—even when the IP addresses change when the vessel connects to another network. The system also provides user rights management, firewalls, SD-WAN, and real-time monitoring tools for each individual data stream and access point, giving the user full control.
SCG, established in 2016 after the merger of Feederlines, Navigia, and Thorco Shipping Holland, manages a global fleet of around 35 vessels from its “House of Shipping” in Groningen, providing full-service ship management.
In addition to its ship management activities, SCG became the first Dutch shipping company to utilize blockchain technology for investment purposes. Via its investment platform ShipFund, it is possible to directly invest in the fleet through the purchase of ShipBonds. These bonds have a duration of two years and offer an annual interest rate of 4.25%.
Castor Marine, part of Castor Networks (est. 2005), is a privately owned company with offices in the Netherlands (HQ), Norway, and France. The company operates worldwide and offers installation, integration, and real-time monitoring of internet traffic, providing reliable connectivity solutions and IT systems. To guarantee global coverage, Castor Marine owns and operates several teleports and a fibre network.
This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 42 No.4 Issue last August 31, 2020.