WCA March 2018

Industry news

Australia Singapore Cable project passes halfway mark and reaches critical milestones

The cable was made in Calais, France, by Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN). On the other side of the English Channel the company finished work on the repeaters at a factory in Greenwich in the UK. The other two-thirds of the assembled cable were transferred from ship to ship in January near Christmas Island. From there a second cable laying vessel, the Ile de Batz , laid the cable as it travelled south from Christmas Island to Perth. The Ile de Re started in Singapore and headed south to Christmas Island. Mr Mackinnon says the reason for using two ships is because the two legs will use different cable laying techniques. “From Singapore to Christmas Island the cable will be buried up to 4m below the seabed using a 40-tonne plough. This is far slower than the usual cable laying technique; the ship can only move at a few hundred metres per hour.” While it is unusual to bury a submarine cable, it is necessary in this instance because the ASC travels through the Java Sea, which is shallow and highly trafficked. Mr Mackinnon said an earlier cable running through this area is frequently broken, mainly due to fishing boats cutting the cable, which can take weeks to fix. Furthermore, there are issues getting permits for ship movements in the area, and Indonesian maritime law requires contractors to use local crews. The situation is different on the ASC leg between Christmas Island and Perth. The southern cable section passes through a deep ocean. Here the cable is simply laid on the sea bed. Mr MacKinnon said, “The boat laying this section can move far quicker, covering kilometres in an hour.” Vocus Group – Australia Website : www.vocus.com.au

BUILDING work on Vocus Communications’ Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) has now passed the halfway point, reaching a number of critical milestones. The Vocus-owned project, worth USD$170m, provides an important link between Australia and two of Asia’s strongest economies – Indonesia and Singapore. “Once complete, the ASC will provide greater connectivity, bandwidth and reliability for business and consumers, building on Vocus’s 21,000km fibre network. We’re very pleased with the rate of progress being made on the project,” said Vocus Group CEO Geoff Horth. Luke Mackinnon, head of Vocus International, said: “There is a lot of activity that goes on with the civil engineering works and the manufacturing before we send a ship to pick up the cable. “The main cable laying starts in February and will continue throughout March. We will perform the final splice in April, enabling the commissioning to begin. That will take place in May and June, giving us a ready-for-service date soon after.”

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Wire & Cable ASIA – March/April 2018