Miramar, Fla.-based MTN Satellite Communications will provide broadband satellite connections for two new cargo ships under a service agreement announced Oct. 14 with Cyprus-based Intership Navigation Co. Ltd.

One of the ships, DHL Pacific, was delivered in August; the other ship, Percival, is scheduled for delivery by year’s end. Both were built at the New Century Shipyard in Jing Jiang, China, and were designed to serve as training vessels, each accommodating 12 nautical students and a training officer in addition to their standard crew complement.

Intership Navigation’s information technology manager, Pawel Bury, said in a statement that MTN’s very small aperture terminal services “are critical” to the distance learning program students will participate in while at sea.

“Using the MTN satellite connection, the students can participate in chat rooms and online forums to seek advice from career coaches” on shore, Bury said.

Installation of the satellite terminals was overseen by Satlink (Maritime Services) Ltd., MTN said in a press release.