On deck in the Indian Ocean with Vocus’ new $100M submarine cable

As the sun rises over the horizon, the crew of cable ship Ile De Re are already hard at work, prepping for the day’s mission: starting the rollout of a $100M submarine fibre optic cable for Australia’s specialist fibre and network solutions provider Vocus

They’re about to embark on the task of recovering an existing fibre cable laid seven years ago off the coast of Port Hedland, WA, to join it to a new 1,000 km cable being transported on the ship. The specialist team lowers a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to the seabed, receiving a live visual feed on the deck. They confirm the identity of the cable, pick it up underwater and raise it to deck, complete with barnacles and seaweed streaming off it. With the cable now in hand, the crew analyses it to ensure it’s still completely watertight inside. To their relief, it is – the cable-end seal has held well. The submarine fibre optic specialists cut into and then strip back the multiple armoured layers to reveal the hair-thin fibre optic cable inside.

The crew splices the fibre optic cable to the end of the new cable being transported in the hull of the vessel. Hours later, after carefully rebuilding the armoured seal around the cable joint and applying a strong metal capsule around the joined ends, it’s time for the cable lay to begin. The crew starts spooling the cable off the ship and onto the seabed. Once the crew is confident the ship is well clear of any other existing cable systems, it starts ploughing, burying the new cable 1m deep. This provides extra protection against wayward ships’ anchors that might damage the infrastructure in the years ahead. The vessel now continues its 1,000 km course to the Australia Singapore Cable, laying at depths of up to 2.5 km.

Here, the new cable will be joined to an existing underwater branching unit, forming the new link that will bring the North-West Cable System and Australia Singapore Cable. Together, the cables will form the final section of the $500M Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore Cable system connecting Perth, Darwin, Port Hedland, Christmas Island, Indonesia, and Singapore, due for completion mid-2023. It will provide the first direct international connection out of Darwin – unlocking it as a major new data hub for the Asia-Pacific.

Ile de Re

Remote operated underwater vehicle

Millions and millions of cable

Cable drums

Cable Plough

100M Vocus Cable Map