The move is complementary to the acquisition by Thales of Barco's software development unit for maritime safety and surveillance and constitutes a key element in both Zenitel's and Thales respective strategies to reinforce their position in maritime safety systems.

With transport by sea growing strongly and being seen as a key solution to reduce the cost of transport and greenhouse gas emissions, Zenitel and Thales will work jointly on developing Maritime Safety opportunities to offer, deliver and service Maritime Safety systems, particularly in the growing Traffic Monitoring domain.

"With 90% of the world's goods travelling by sea, ensuring the safety & security of coastal populations, environment, economies and people are a key challenge for all players involved. Protecting critical assets is part of Thales's core business and the expansion of our portfolio and partnership with Zenitel strengthens our position in the growing Maritime Safety & Security market even further", says Jean-Georges Malcor, senior-vice president of Thales and head of the Naval Division.

The agreement will allow Zenitel to benefit from Thales's extensive maritime solutions portfolio, including the recently acquired Barco VTS software unit. In return, Thales will extend its offer with new maritime Safety solutions from Zenitel, including Global Maritime Distress Safety Systems (GMDSS) and Traffic Monitoring. Both companies will also benefit from their respective access to markets and customers worldwide.

Eddy Maldague, general manager of International Business within Zenitel's System Integration division comments "Considering Zenitel's in-depth knowledge of mission critical communications systems and solutions, this agreement will open up for both companies new perspectives in the numerous related projects we are addressing. This important agreement with Thales will allow us to offer Zenitel customer, around the globe, the highest level of Vessel Tracking Systems security".