Subsea Cables News

The Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday it plans to adopt rules to bar companies from connecting undersea submarine communication cables to the United States that include Chinese technology or equipment."We have seen submarine cable infrastructure threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, like China," FCC Chair Brendan Carr said in a statement. "We are therefore taking action here to guard our submarine cables against foreign adversary ownership, and access…

Taihan’s cable laying vessel (CLV), PALOS, has successfully completed the installation of export cables for the 364.8 MW Yeonggwang Nakwol offshore wind farm in South Korea.The project, being developed Nakwol Blue Heart, is located near Songido, is a large-scale initiative to develop a 364.8MW wind power complex.With a total project cost of $1.6 billion, the facility will generate enough electricity to power approximately 250,000 households year-round upon completion. The overall…

The final inter-array cable has been installed at Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier (EMYN) offshore wind farm in France, being developed by Les Éoliennes en Mer Services.The 61st and final inter-array cable was installed on June 22 at the EMYN offshore wind farm, Louis Dreyfus TravOcean said on social media.The accomplishment paves the way for a transmission capacity of 512 MW.Geoquip Marine’s Geoquip Elena, converted into a Cable Laying Vessel (CLV) with a bespoke project-specific deck layout used in the operation…

Finnish prosecutors are considering pressing charges against three senior officers of an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea power and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea in December, police and the prosecutor said on Friday.Finnish authorities suspect the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S of having broken the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia as well as four internet lines last December by dragging its anchor across the seabed.Finland's…

A Taiwanese court sentenced the Chinese captain of a ship to three years in jail on Thursday after finding him guilty of intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, in a case that alarmed Taiwan officials.Prosecutors said the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, damaging it.The court in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified only by his family name, Wang, wa

LS Eco Advanced Cables (LSEAC) has launched a five-week public consultation on its proposals to develop a high voltage cable production facility at the Port of Tyne for subsea electricity transmission, designed to transport clean energy generated by offshore wind onto UK shores.While plans are at an early stage and still being finalized, total investment is expected to be approximately $1.2 billion (£923 million), which would put the North East at the heart of the UK’s clean energy…

Italian power grid operator Terna and its Greek counterpart IPTO signed on Monday a deal worth nearly 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) on a new undersea electricity interconnector between Italy and Greece.The deal was announced after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted a summit with her Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Rome's 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphili, also involving ministers from both countries."(On interconnections) we have an advantage that comes from our geographical location in the Mediterranean…

A study led by the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has found that natural hazards account for around a quarter of all recorded instances of subsea cable damage between 1965 and 2019, posing a threat to the growing infrastructure underpinning global connectivity.While human activities like fishing and anchoring remain the primary causes of damage, the study warns that climate change is intensifying many natural hazards, increasing risks to these vital networks.The threats…

Offshore services provider DOF has announced an investment in a modular cable repair spread designed to expedite offshore wind operators’ response to cable faults.Engineered for compatibility across DOF’s fleet of 65 vessels, the system offers an industry-first combination of fleet-wide flexibility, road transportability, and rapid deployment capabilities.Developed in collaboration with engineering specialists, Royal IHC, the spread allows for mobilization and commissioning within 48 hours…

Space Norway and SubCom announced that a contract is in-force for the survey, design, supply and installation of the Arctic Way Cable System. Providing necessary route diversity to a region with rapidly increasing data traffic demands, the new system will become a critical asset for transmitting data between the Norwegian mainland, Jan Mayen, and the Svalbard archipelago.SubCom will produce the components for Arctic Way at its manufacturing campus in Newington, NH, USA. The trunk-and-branch…

Taiwan prosecutors on Friday for the first time charged a Chinese ship captain with intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, after a rise in sea cable malfunctions alarmed Taiwan officials amid tensions with China.Prosecutors say the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, damaging it.The prosecutors' office in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said they had charged the ship's Chinese captain…

Britain's energy regulator Ofgem does not believe an electricity transmission project developed by National Grid Electricity Transmission and SP Energy Networks qualifies to be exempt from penalties related to delays, it said on Thursday.The joint venture between the units of National Grid NG.L and Spain's Iberdrola IBE.MC had requested a 480-day exemption from penalties related to completion delays on the Eastern Green Link 1 (EGL1) due to global supply chain issues and capacity shortages.The project comprises subsea and underground cables linking Scotland to north-east England…

Finland will release an oil tanker which investigators believe broke a Baltic Sea power cable and four internet lines late last year, and will escort the vessel to international waters even as the criminal probe continues, police said on Sunday.The Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was boarded by Finland's coast guard on December 26 and has been held in custody while authorities probed the case, which remains under investigation on suspicion of sabotage.Three crew members remain subject to a travel ban and are not allowed to leave Finland, police said in a statement."The criminal investigation c

Taiwan's coast guard said it detained a China-linked cargo ship on Tuesday after a nearby undersea cable to the Penghu Islands in the sensitive Taiwan Strait was disconnected.Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly complained about "grey zone" Chinese activities around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation, such as balloon overflights and sand dredging.Taipei was alarmed after a Chinese-linked ship was suspected of damaging another cable earlier this year…

Subsea cable services company Asso.subsea has introduced the Marine Technology Business Unit, a strategic initiative dedicated to shipbuilding, innovation and sustainability in offshore energy.The new unit marks a significant milestone in the company’s long-term shipbuilding and fleet expansion plans, reinforcing its commitment to delivering cutting-edge marine solutions tailored to the evolving needs of subsea operations.The launch of the unit is officially inaugurated with the signing of the first shipbuilding contract for the Althea…

Space Norway is set to establish new high-speed connection from the Norwegian mainland to Jan Mayen and Svalbard.Space Norway has signed a contract with SubCom for the full system supply of the Arctic Way Cable System, including survey, design, manufacturing and installation. Scheduled to commence service in 2028, this new system will become a critical asset for transmitting data traffic between the mainland, Jan Mayen, and Svalbard archipelago."While establishing new fibre infrastructure…

An underwater Russian Baltic Sea telecoms cable was damaged by an "external impact," Russia's TASS news agency cited the country's state-owned Rostelecom company as saying on Saturday."Rostelecom's submarine cable was damaged in the Baltic Sea as a result of an external impact some time ago," TASS cited Rostelecom as saying.Restoration work is under way and the incident has had no impact on subscribers so far, Rostelecom added.Rostelecom did not provide further details and it was unclear when the damage occurred.

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania completed a switch from Russia's electricity grid to the EU's system on Sunday, severing Soviet-era ties amid heightened security after the suspected sabotage of several subsea cables and pipelines.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the move, years in the planning, as marking a new era of freedom for the region, in a speech at a ceremony in Vilnius alongside the leaders of the three countries and the Polish president."These chains of power lines linking you to hostile neighbours will be a thing of the past…

Windward has launched a Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection solution, an AI-powered solution designed to protect the world’s essential maritime infrastructure against growing threats.Windward’s Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection solution addresses three primary threats to maritime infrastructure, deep-sea research operations, shallow-water sabotage, and attacks on offshore oil rigs and platforms. The AI-powered solution monitors high-risk vessels to flag suspicious activities…

Captains of ships that damage underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea such as telecoms cables or pipelines should be put under EU sanctions to deter such acts, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Thursday.Sikorski said Poland, which holds the European Union's rotating presidency, wanted the proposal to be part of the next, 16th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which is now under discussion among EU governments.The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable…

The US and Norway have agreed on further steps to increase the security of subsea infrastructure including better involvement of the private sector.The US and Nordic-Baltic countries, including Norway, have agreed to:• Harmonize and develop channels and procedures for sharing real-time situational awareness and incident information within national governments, across allies, and between public and private sector stakeholders, including incorporating private sector disruption notifications• Identify opportunities for public-private partnerships to improve repair and maintenance fleet capacity…

Shipping companies using the Baltic Sea, one of the world’s busiest maritime routes, may face a new fee to help finance the protection of critical undersea cables, Estonia’s defense minister suggested on Wednesday. The proposal comes in response to a series of breaches that have raised security concerns.Last week, NATO announced plans to deploy frigates, patrol aircraft, and drones in the Baltic Sea following multiple incidents where ships allegedly damaged power and communication cables with their anchors in suspected acts of sabotage.Beyond military patrols…

Norwegian police said on Friday they had seized and boarded a Norwegian ship with an all-Russian crew on suspicion of involvement in causing damage to a telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea, the second vessel to be named by investigators in the case.The Silver Dania cargo ship was seized at the request of Latvian authorities, and with the help of Norway's coast guard, police in the northern Norwegian city of Tromsoe said."It is suspected that the ship has been involved in serious damage to a fibre cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden…