Issue 39, July 2008Subsea Technology Issue

An international forum for the expression of ideas and opinions pertaining to the submarie telecoms industryJuly 2008

#39Subsea

Technology Issue

2

Submarine Telecoms Forum is published bi-monthly by WFN Strategies, L.L.C. The publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publishers.

Submarine Telecoms Forum is an independent com mercial publication, serving as a freely accessible forum for professionals in industries connected with submarine optical fibre technologies and techniques.

Liability: while every care is taken in preparation of this publication, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information herein, or any errors which may occur in advertising or editorial content, or any consequence arising from any errors or omissions.

The publisher cannot be held responsible for any views expressed by contributors, and the editor reserves the right to edit any advertising or editorial material submitted for publication.

Contributions are welcomed. Please forward to the Managing Editor:

Wayne NielsenWFN Strategies

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Designed and produced byUnity Business Solutions

© WFN Strategies L.L.C., 2008

Welcome to the 39th issue of Submarine Telecoms Forum magazine, our Subsea Technologies edition.

In spite of the exciting developments in our industry, “le Tour” once again dominated July -- at least in one person’s mind! New faces from new countries shaped the finals as never before, and now a new history with a different accent has been written.

Similar changes are occurring in our industry as some old faces are reemerging in new guises, and some new names with new accents are standing up to be recognized.

It must be July…

And in the vein of our theme, we have some excellent articles to fuel your clever brain.

Fiona Beck looks forward to the future for our industry, while Michael Nedbal describes the GIS revolution in cable planning. Edwin Danson introduces the new generation of precision positioning, as Cliff Scapellati and Paul Treglia details HV power supply technology. Abiodun Jagun presents the case for open access infrastructure in Africa, and Donald Hussong highlights AUVs for Deepwater Surveys. Chris Butler questions whether good customer service makes a project a success; Roger Hornsby illustrates a “survivable” fiber project. Ron Crean highlights an exciting new management tool for those most cherished

assets, the cableship. Jean Devos returns with his ever insightful observations, and of course, our ever popular, “where in the world are all those pesky cableships” is included as well. Lastly, we enclose our Author’s Index – our annual “you said what?” compilation.

Lastly, we appreciate the significant feedback to SubTel Forum’s new discussion board and RSS feed, and encourage you to take advantage of this complimentary technology.

Enjoy,

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5 News Now

11 The Sub-Sea Industry: Expanding in a Changing Market Fiona Beck

14 The GIS Revolution Spawns New Data And Tools For Cable Route Planners Dr. Michael Nedbal

17 Goodbye Differential GPS: Introducing the New Generation of Precision Positioning for Cable Surveys, Installation & Maintenance Edwin Danson

38 AISLive

24 Cable Map 2008

20 CTC

28 Global Marine Systems

16 Nexans

5 OFS

54 STF Advertising

35 STF Calendar 2009

31 Submarine Network 2008

4 WFNS

42 Xtera

21 Eglin AFB - Santa Rosa Island Survivable Fiber Project Jan 2007 – May 2008 Mission Impossible Devin Sappington

25 High Voltage Power Supply Technology for Use in Power Feed Applications Cliff Scapellati & Paul Treglia

29 Customer Service – What Makes a Successful Project? Chris Butler

32 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Provide New Opportunity for Deepwater Surveys Donald M. Hussong

36 Real-time Cableship Tracking is Alive! Ron Crean

39 The Case for “Open Access” Communications Infrastructure in Africa: The SAT-3/WASC cable Dr. Abiodun Jagun

43 Author Index

55 The Cableships

61 Letter to a Friend Jean Devos

62 Upcoming Conferences

July 2008

#39Subsea

Technology Issue

Engineering of submarine and terrestrial optical cable, microwave/WiMax /WiFi,mobile, satellite and RF systems for commercial, oil & gas and government clients

21495 Ridgetop Circle, Suite 201Sterling, Virginia 20166 USA

Tel: +[1] 703 444 2527www.wfnstrategies.com

A synopsis of current news items from NewsNow, the weekly news feed available on the Submarine Telecoms Forum website.

AAG Cable Station Inaugurated in the Philippines (May 30th, 2008)

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo visited La Union on Tuesday to lead the ceremony to inaugurate a new cable landing station for the Philippine leg of the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) transpacific cable in the municipality of Bauang. The US$500 million milestone project is the first [Read more]

Alaska Communications Systems Wins Telly Awards for Advertising (July 8th, 2008)

Alaska Communications Systems Group, Inc. (”ACS”) (NASDAQ:ALSK) today announced it won two Telly Awards for its advertising efforts.Founded in 1978, the Telly Awards honor excellence in local, regional and cable TV commercials. Non-broadcast video and TV program categories were later added. With over 200 categories, the Telly is one [Read more]

Alcatel-Lucent WiMAX Solution Selected by the U.S. Defense Information System Agency for Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration (June 25th, 2008)

LGS, a subsidiary of Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) dedicated to serving the U.S. government community, announced today that the Defense Information System Agency (DISA) has chosen Alcatel-Lucent’s WiMAX wireless broadband technology [Read more]

Alcatel-Lucent opens Executive Briefing Center (EBC) in São Paulo, Brazil to showcase advanced communications technologies for carriers and enterprises (June 24th, 2008)

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) announced today the opening of its Brazilian Executive Briefing Center (EBC) - a large workspace equipped with state-of-the-art technology and demonstrations to

host customers, business partners and other stakeholders interested in [Read more]

Alcatel-Lucent to acquire Motive, Inc., a leading provider of service management software for broadband and mobile data services (June 18th, 2008)

Paris, France and Austin, TX, June 17, 2008Alcatel-Lucent today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Motive, Inc. (OTC: MOTV), a leading provider of service management software for broadband and mobile data services, through a cash tender offer for all outstanding Motive [Read more]

American Samoa’s Governor Signs Documents to Re-Route PacRimEast (June 13th, 2008)

Togiola Tulafono, Governor of American Samoa, recently signed documents that will facilitate bringing the PacRimEast submarine fiber optic

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cable to American Samoa. The project involves re-routing the decommissioned PacRimEast cable, which currently runs from New Zealand to Hawaii. Alcatel-Lucent has been [Read more]

BHP Billiton Begins Production From Neptune Facility In The Deepwater Gulf Of Mexico(July 6th, 2008)

BHP Billiton announced today that first oil and natural gas production has commenced from the Neptune development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The single-column tension leg platform (TLP) is designed to handle up to 50,000 barrels of oil per day and 50 million cubic feet per [Read more]

China Telecom Americas Says TPE Nearly Ready for Launch (June 2nd, 2008)

China Telecom Americas, working with four other TPE Consortium team members, has announced that it is poised to launch the Trans-Pacific Express Cable. The Trans-Pacific Express Cable (TPE) is the first next-generation undersea optical cable system directly linking the United States and China, and [Read more]

Columbus Networks Builds 2nd Landing Station in Colombia (May 30th, 2008)

Columbus Networks has completed installation of a second cable landing station in Colombia,

where the country’s telecommunications providers interconnect their facilities with the undersea fiber optic cable network installed throughout the Caribbean and Latin America Region. Columbus Networks built the new state-of-the-art landing station in Cartagena, Colombia, to provide its carrier [Read more]

CSA International Expands Permitting Capability (July 7th, 2008)

CSA International, Inc., (CSA) a leader in Marine Environmental Sciences and Services, has announced the expansion of its Permitting Business Line to address the increased level of activity in both the Oil & Gas as well as the Telecom industries. The expansion includes the addition of technical and science [Read more]

CTC appoints manager for Australia(July 17th, 2008)

CTC Marine Projects (a division of the Trico group) today announces that it has appointed Marcus Hemsted as Technical Sales Manager for Australia and New Zealand, operating from the company’s newly opened Perth office. Marcus has extensive experience of the subsea and telecoms industries, having worked in project engineering and equipment design [Read more]

CTC receives Frame Agreement from StatoilHydro (July 17th, 2008)

CTC Marine Projects Limited (a division of the Trico group) has recently been awarded a Frame Agreement by StatoilHydro ASA for the provision of trenching services.The Frame Agreement is for a three year period with options to extend for two x 2 years and covers offshore Norway. StatoilHydro will have access to [Read more]

CTC receives contract award from Bluewhale(June 13th, 2008)

CTC Marine Projects Limited (a DeepOcean ASA subsidiary) has received a contract award from Bluewhale Offshore Engineering Technology for the installation of three inter-platform power cables totalling 78km in the Wenchang field, offshore China. CTC will use the DP 2 vessel Maersk Recorder which will be mobilizing immediately from Singapore. On completion [Read more]

Denholm Launches Specialist Cable Arm(June 23rd, 2008)

UK-based Denholm Shipping Company, part of the J & J Denholm Group, has established a new subsidiary, Denholm Offshore, to undertake submarine cable installation & maintenance

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contracts, primarily in shallow water. The new company will focus on the planning, installation, burial and maintenance of power and telecoms cable and shore end services [Read more]

E-Marine Establishes New Cable Depot(June 20th, 2008)

E-Marine PJSC, the UAE based leading submarine cable solution provider in the Middle East, has announced their new state-of-the-art cable depot in Port of Salalah, in the Sultanate of Oman is completed and ready for operation. This cable depot consists of eight submarine cable storage tanks, providing a [Read more]

Global Crossing Inaugurates Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast Cable (July 25th, 2008)

Global Crossing has announced the lighting of its new fiber-optic submarine cable in Esterillos of Parrita, Puntarenas. Global Crossing; Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), the state-run entity responsible for Costa Rica’s telecommunications; and the Radiográfica Costarricense S.A. (RACSA) will host a ceremony today at the new [Read more]

Global Crossing to Provide Link to Brazil During Beijing 2008 Olympics (July 7th, 2008)

Global Crossing has announced it will provide a link between Rio de Janeiro and New York

for Eurovision, the premier sports and news content distributor for the world´s top broadcast and media platforms, during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The contract expands the broadcaster’s existing Private Line Services to accommodate enhanced [Read more]

Global Crossing Upgrades MAC(June 20th, 2008)

Global has announced it has expanded capacity on its Mid-Atlantic Crossing (MAC®) undersea fiber-optic cable system to meet rapidly growing demand for Internet Protocol (IP) and Ethernet transport among its customers, and to enhance connectivity between North America, Latin America and Europe. [Read more]

Gtd Manquehue selects Alcatel-Lucent to deploy first fiber-to-the-home network in Chile based on GPON technology(July 29th, 2008)

Paris, July 28, 2008 - Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that it has been selected by Gtd Group, one of the main service providers in Chile, to deploy the country’s first network based on fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) gigabit passive optical network (GPON) technology. Installation and deployment of the GPON [Read more]

Hitachi Cable to Supply African Project(June 2nd, 2008)

Hitachi Cable has announced that it will supply submarine fiber optic cable for a project in Africa. The contract is the first for Hitachi Cable the region. The company will supply the cable to Tyco Telecommunications, with shipments beginning this summer. [Read more]

Huawei Completes MedNautilus Upgrade Ahead of Schedule (May 30th, 2008)

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications networks for operators around the world, has announced that the upgrade of Telecom Italia’s Mediterranean Nautilus Ltd (MedNautilus) DWDM submarine network has been completed one month ahead of schedule. [Read more]

Interim Working Group to develop a framework for a Submarine Cable (June 18th, 2008)

The SubOptic Executive Committee is pleased to announce the formation of its first Interim Activities Working Group, specifically to develop a framework based on best practice for a Standard Submarine Cable Construction Contract and an associated Guide. These documents are being developed to provide insight into a critical but often [Read more]

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Isocore Internetworking Lab validates Alcatel-Lucent IP/MPLS mobile backhaul solution(June 26th, 2008)

Paris, June 25, 2008 - Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU)today announced that Isocore Internetworking Lab, the leader in validation and interoperability of emerging and next generation technologies, presented a comprehensive report confirming the scalability and resilience of Alcatel-Lucent’s [Read more]

Japan-Russia Cable System Starts Operations(July 11th, 2008)

TransTeleCom Company CJSC (TTK), Russia’s leading telecommunications backbone operator, and NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) have announced that the Hokkaido-Sakhalin Cable System (HSCS), which directly links the two companies’ telecom networks via an undersea cable between Nevelsk, Sakhalin Island in Russia, and Ishikari, [Read more]

JDSU Introduces Fiber Optic Inspection, Cleaning and Testing Kits to Prevent Leading Cause of Network Downtime (July 8th, 2008)

JDSU today announcedthe release of all-in-one fiber optic test kits, providing network technicians with a simple way to avoid one of the leading causes of network downtime: contaminated, or “dirty,” fiber. Based on its recognized best

practice to “Inspect Before You Connect,” JDSU provides all of the tools [Read more]

Launch of Windward Telecom Network Announced (June 2nd, 2008)

C.A. Bancorp Inc. has announced that its portfolio investment, Windward Telecom Ltd., has successfully launched its international telecommunications network in Trinidad and Tobago. Effective May 13, 2008, Windward’s network began carrying its first commercial phone traffic to the nation. “Expatriates and foreigners calling into Trinidad will [Read more]

Marine sector & Environmental Groups unite to launch Joint Statement on Draft Marine Bill(July 23rd, 2008)

The Seabed User and Developer Group (SUDG) and Wildlife and Countryside Link (Link) will today (22 July 2008) come together to launch a joint statement on areas of agreement on the draft Marine Bill. The statement is a prime example of industry and environmental groups working together to ensure the [Read more]

Marine sector & Environmental Groups Unite to launch Joint Statement on Draft Marine Bill(July 21st, 2008)

The Seabed User and Developer Group (SUDG) and Wildlife and Countryside Link

(WCL) will hold a press briefing on Tuesday 22 July at [Read more]

NEC, Sumitomo Electric Acquire OCC (July 7th, 2008)

NEC Corporation and Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. have announced the acquisition of OCC Holdings and its subsidiary OCC Corporation, which manufactures fiber optic submarine cables of exceptional quality and reliability. [Read more]

Northern Isles Take Step Closer To Mainland(July 7th, 2008)

BT is laying a new fibre optic submarine cable between Orkney and the Scottish mainland to help bring its 21st Century Network to the Northern Isles. The 70 km cable will run from Skaill Bay in Orkney under the Pentland Firth to Dunnet Bay, around five miles east of Thurso.BT has awarded [Read more]

Omantel Signs Agreement to Extend MENA Cable to Oman (July 25th, 2008)

Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) and Middle East and North Africa Company (MENA) of Egypt have recently signed an agreement on the landing of a submarine fiber optic cable on the Omani coast to enhance international telecommunications

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traffic between the Sultanate of Oman and the world. Dr. Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Wohaibi, the Chief [Read more]

Pacific Crossing Limited Hires CFO(July 11th, 2008)

Pacific Crossing Limited (PCL), the operator of transpacific cable system PC-1, has appointed industry veteran Kurt Johnson as Chief Financial Officer. Johnson brings to his new role over 27 years of experience serving as CFO and corporate controller for leading companies in the technology and [Read more]

Pacnet, Bharti Airtel and Pacific Crossing Launch “Gateway to India” Offering(June 20th, 2008)

Following the signing of an NNI (network-to-network interface) agreement to interconnect their respective networks, expanding connections to and from India, Pacnet and Bharti Airtel have announced a special “Gateway to India” offering for STM-1 and larger International Private Line circuits between the [Read more]

Phoenix International Announces Completion of Crane Installation (July 11th, 2008)

Phoenix International Holdings, Inc., (Phoenix) announced today that it has completed

installation of a 40-ton dynamic knuckle-boom crane on the M/V ANNE CANDIES. The M/V ANNE CANDIES is mobilized with a state-of-the-art, Schilling Robotics 200-HP intelligent work class remotely operated vehicle (iWROV) rated to 11,480 feet. [Read more]

PIPE International Files with FCC to Land PPC 1 in Guam (June 13th, 2008)

PPC 1 Limited and PPC 1 (US) Inc. have filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for authority to land and operate a non-common carrier fiber-optic submarine cable system, the PPC 1 System, connecting Sydney, Australia, Piti, Guam, and Madang, Papua New Guinea. [Read more]

Robert Keith Appointed Vice President – Oil & Gas For Phoenix International Holdings(June 18th, 2008)

Houston, TX — Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix) announced the appointment of Robert Keith to the position of Vice President - Oil & Gas. In this newly established position, Robert will be responsible for setting the strategic direction and coordinating the marketing, sales and operations for all Phoenix domestic and international activities in [Read more]

Southern Cross to Increase Capacity with Nortel 40G Technology (July 11th, 2008)

Southern Cross Cables has selected Nortel 40G optical technology to help meet demand for bandwidth from service provider customers in Asia Pacific for high-speed services and applications like IPTV and HD video. The Southern Cross network provides the major link for Internet traffic from Australia, New Zealand and [Read more]

Suo Cable Net selects Alcatel-Lucent for first commercial GPON deployment in Japan(July 23rd, 2008)

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced it has been selected by Suo Cable Net, a Japanese cable-TV operator, to design, integrate and deploy a Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) solution. This new network, which will enable Suo Cable Net to begin rolling out high-speed Internet and video services [Read more]

Tata Communications Expands Connectivity to Africa (June 13th, 2008)

Tata Communications has announced the further expansion of its network reach into Africa through an arrangement with Neotel, South Africa’s first converged communications network

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operator. The South African government and business process outsourcing (BPO) industry has invested a tremendous amount of time and effort in positioning the country [Read more]

Tyco Telecommunications and NEC Begin Construction of Unity Cable System(June 24th, 2008)

Tyco Telecommunications (U.S.) Inc. and NEC Corporation today announced the commencement of construction on the Unity Cable System, a high-bandwidth trans-Pacific, optical submarine cable system that will link Los Angeles, U.S. to Chikura, Japan. The contract for the project was signed on February 23, 2008, between the Unity Consortium [Read more]

Tyco Telecommunications prepares for new cable installations by installing/upgrading state-of-the-art MakaiLay software.(June 9th, 2008)

Tyco Telecom has purchased a full license of MakaiLay with the Slack Control Module for the CS Decisive and upgraded the CS Durable to the latest MakaiLay with the Slack Control Module. The MakaiLay software provides TYCO with the ability to install submarine cables with the highest level of accuracy [Read more]

The Merger between China Unicom and China Netcom and the Sale of CDMA Business by China Unicom to China Telecom (June 2nd, 2008)

China Unicom Limited (”Unicom”)(HKSE:0762, NYSE:CHU) announces that to build a stronger integrated telecommunication enterprise with full-service capability and to establish a leading edge based on 3G technologies, Unicom and China Netcom Group Corporation [Read more]

WFN Strategies to Supervise ADONES Cable System Installation (July 11th, 2008)

WFN Strategies has recently announced the contract award by Angola Telecom for the provision of supervision support of the ADONES submarine cable system.WFN is providing network design and test plan review, factory acceptance and integration testing, review of survey reports, and acceptance monitoring of marine and terrestrial installation activities [Read more]

WFN Strategies Selected by SubOptic as a Media Partner (June 27th, 2008)

WFN Strategies has been selected by the submarine telecommunications industry association, SubOptic, to act as Media Partner in support of its upcoming conference in Yokohama

in 2010. As Media Partner, WFN Strategies will be providing on SubOptic’s behalf support at a number of international [Read more]

Windward Telecom Launches Competitve Long Distance Services In Trinidad And Tobago(May 28th, 2008)

Windward Telecom Ltd. has successfully launched its international telecommunications network in Trinidad and Tobago. The Company has been moving switched traffic through its Miami and Port of Spain switches on a commercial basis for the past week. “Expatriates and foreigners calling into Trinidad will be the initial beneficiaries [Read more]

Work Begins on Southeast Alaska Cable(July 25th, 2008)

GCI has announced that the laying undersea telecommunications cable will begin in Southeast Alaska waters this month, placing 750 miles of fiber optic cable on the ocean floor.For residents in Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Angoon and Sitka this means high-speed connections for Internet, phone and video; in Juneau, residents will [Read more]

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I often get asked about the cyclical state of the

subsea capacity market. Are there now too

many new cable builds? Are we heading for

another bust? It’s happened before but will it

happen again to an industry that’s in a much

different space to that of 2001–2003? There

are fewer ships, manufacturing capability is

smaller and there’s a waiting list on a number

of fronts.

We all have a reasonable idea of the big

trends that underlie our industry but it’s always

difficult to pick the timing, size and impact of

the important changes. The subsea market,

particularly the Asia-Pacific region, is currently

experiencing strong growth and I believe that

many of the cable systems that are being built

will prove commercially sound where they

have the backing of strong carriers who take

a long term view of the telecommunications

environment and who have an understanding

of the fundamental demand outlook for low

cost and reliable international capacity.

A number of the current cable builds target

new markets while others augment existing

routes, sometimes served by many cables. At

the same time many upgrades will take place

as required. These will be at comparatively

very low cost but will provide huge increases in

capacity. The potential upgradability of many

existing 10G systems has just been raised by

300% with the availability of 40G equipment

and it will most likely be raised by 900% within

a couple of years. Who knows after that?

Looking forward there are three fundamental

questions:

What do our customers want?•Where will customers demand come from?•How will we meet that demand?•

Our customers continue to need

more and more capacity, they

want reliability and they want their

investment and operational costs

to be low. They want the choice

of quality suppliers and the choice

of IRU products and leases. They

want their networks on diverse

paths and they are looking for

new products. They will continue

to favor quality suppliers so their

networks are more robust and to

ensure operational seamlessness

and responsiveness. They must do this

because they compete in a world that is now

dependent on the global web where any loss of

service is not tolerated.

We all know that submarine systems are

inherently prone to single cable failures that

can take weeks to repair so customers must

have fully diverse paths for each traffic route.

Submarine systems must deliver seamless

and flexible service on a day today basis and

new circuits must be commissioned at short

notice. But most of all subsea providers must

be commercially strong enough to last the long

haul of 10 -20 years.

At Southern Cross we have embraced

customer needs as the driving force for long

term success. We built a fully diverse dual

cable network to provide our customers with

The Sub-Sea Industry: Expanding in a Changing Market

by Fiona Beck

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the fastest and most secure platform for

connectivity between Australasia and the US

mainland and between the Hawaiian Islands

and the US mainland. We strive to be the

best performer in the industry and we conduct

independent Customer Satisfaction Surveys

to ensure we achieve that. But it’s a continual,

relentless process to stay in front so we are

constantly looking at options to provide our

customers with improving value.

Price is always important to customers. Subsea

customers do shop around but in the end they

will optimize the need for diversity, low price,

quality service, and timeliness. Low prices are

also important because they allow potential

demand to be realized.

Southern Cross prices have fallen dramatically

over time and the availability of low cost capacity

from the current upgrade (with the prospect of

much more from future planned upgrades) is

enabling further enhancements to both our

products and prices. On the price front our

goal is to be an enabler for the Australasian

broadband growth story and not an inhibitor. As

such we look to price our capacity to support

our customers’ needs. At the same time we

must ensure that our capacity is bullet proof

and our commercial longevity enhanced.

A key dynamic for the future is the

fundamental driver of growth in international

capacity demand. In the early years growth in

international capacity came from the transition

of internet users from dialup to broadband. But

in all established markets, future demand will

be determined by increases in the average

amount of capacity that each hi-speed

broadband user needs and can pay for, not

by subscriber growth. If average capacity

consumption increases then demand for our

product will continue to increase.

Broadband is now considered an important part

of national infrastructure. So it’s not surprising

that many Governments now play an active

role in helping ensure business and residential

consumers get a full broadband experience

from the competitive market environment.

With broadband as the new international

highway, Governments will intervene where

markets do not meet national requirements

such as with the role out of fibre to the home

and demand for subsea capacity will rise as

capacity consumption increases accordingly.

Mobile is now also an emerging

player as a source of significant

capacity demand. You only have

to look at the popularity of the

recently released 3G iPhone to

see how we have moved to a

more mobile connected society

where you can get any information you want

at any time wherever you are. The mobile

phone and its associated network technology

has made significant advances in its ability to

download data at speeds customers previously

only enjoyed with a fixed line into their home.

From where we stand the fundamental outlook

for demand looks strong. With strong growth

at the retail level we are seeing corresponding

growth at the international level and as such

Southern Cross has recently completed a

significant phase of its current upgrade in

time to meet rapidly expanding demand. Once

the complete upgrade is available at the end

of this year we will have almost doubled our

capacity but it won’t last for long. We are

already considering the next upgrade and we

are asking our suppliers how to get more from

our network. What else can it do?

As we all know the move from 2.5G to 10G

is over. Now we can deploy 40G while 100G

is fast becoming a reality. These technology

leaps enable far greater capacity for new

builds but they will also be applied at low cost

to many exiting systems.

I have been surprised at the speed of technology

growth and the opportunity this affords us

to upgrade earlier with a more cost effective

price point and to deliver new services that

make our products increasingly bullet proof.

Will demand keep up with quantum shifts in

supply? Given the enormity of supply potential

I tend to think not. But this is not an industry

issue like it was five years ago because many

new systems are better grounded with strong

carrier support.

I have also been pleased to see how terrestrial

systems suppliers are now deploying equipment

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for the upgrade of submarine systems. With

equipment supply constrained and long delivery

cycles becoming the norm as resources are

now stretched to satisfy new cable builds, the

prospect of new reliable entrants being able to

deliver quick, low cost, high capacity upgrades

is extremely attractive.

The flow-on effects of both new system builds

and huge upgrades to existing systems will be

very positive for our customers and for final

consumers. By 2010 a number of new systems

will have been commissioned, upgrades using

40G (if not 100G) will be considered the

norm and the demand market will have been

strong for some time. That said we shouldn’t

be complacent, we will still need to carefully

evaluate the need for every new system and

for every upgrade.

To be successful over the long term our vision

as an industry must be to deploy the technology

to enable societies to be continuously and

ubiquitously connected with an enormous

volume of low cost undersea capacity on

tap. I suspect we will do this by increasingly

deploying new builds to markets that are poorly

connected today, while upgrades will easily

provide the most cost effective solution where

multiple systems have already been installed.

But whether it is a new cable or upgrade, our

vision will only be realized if we embrace the

need to understand and satisfy the needs of

our customers though an addiction to ongoing

service improvement.

We can also do better as an industry that works

together to find ways to be more responsive to

our customers and to provide them with better

service. SubOptic is about supporting the

industry, and the 2010 conference hosted by

NEC and Fujitsu in Yokohama will provide a

useful platform for furthering debate to identify

other ways in which we can all improve.

Ms Beck is the President and Chief Executive Officer for Southern Cross Cable Network. She was appointed to this position in May 2001 where prior to this she represented Telecom NZ as a Director on the Board of Southern Cross Cables and various other major companies

such as EDS (NZ) and ConnecTel. Ms Beck was a senior manager within Telecom NZ responsible for Telecom’s corporate planning, EVA analysis, capital investment reviews and corporate advisory service.

She is a chartered accountant and holds a Bachelor of Management Studies (Honours) degree in Accounting and Finance from Waikato University, New Zealand.

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A geographic information system (GIS) is any system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, managing and displaying data and associated attributes which are spatially referenced to Earth. In recent years the world has witnessed tremendous growth in the number of GIS-based software tools to support and geo-reference a large variety of data. The reason why GIS has become so popular, and is often referred to as the GIS revolution, is because a wide variety of data can now be precisely positioned in three-dimensional space. This allows engineers and researchers to easily compare and analyze multiple forms of data in a common spatial framework having the same units of measurements and geospatial context.

Due to the vast amount of information required to plan a cable route, working in a GIS environment is a necessity for modern day submarine cable planners. Data that need to be considered include bathymetry, fishing regions, dumping grounds, military restrictions, political boundaries, cable crossings and sediment characteristics, to name a few. In the not-to-distant past, these data were compiled from a variety of paper charts and independent electronic databases. The process of compiling and comparing the data from independent sources was time consuming and error prone. In today’s digital age the data are now in electronic format and, in theory, can be imported into a common GIS platform for accurate comparative analysis and record keeping. In practice, a lack of standardization

among data formats had lead to disparity among proprietary database management platforms and data types.

The two primary competing management platforms (tools used to store, display and analyze GIS data) are Intergraph® products (e.g., Geomedia®) and the ESRI® products (e.g., ArcInfo®). Geomedia has no associated proprietary data format – it was designed to be compatible with a wide variety of data types. ArcInfo, however, favors its own proprietary data format making it difficult for other GIS platforms to integrate with ESRI data. Beyond ESRI’s proprietary data types, there are over 200 different types of GIS data formats that exist making it difficult for the submarine cable planner to easily integrate multiple forms of data.

The introduction of a new tool to submarine cable planning software has simplified the integration of multiple data types. This flexible and powerful spatial toolset makes it easy for planners to translate, transform and integrate spatial data in a variety of formats. The core software, the Feature Manipulation Engine (FME®), is a product of Safe Software®. This software has now been integrated with GIS platform Geomedia and submarine cable route planning software to expand their data integration capabilities.

Prior to the introduction of FME, submarine cable planners were forced to use third party tools (e.g., Import71) and become trained in the use of Geomedia in order to adapt various forms of spatial data into the

15

planning software. A simple AutoCAD file containing bathymetry contours required the creation of a schema definition file, a coordinate system file and a warehouse database prior to importing the data into the planning software. Now, the entire process is embedded within the cable planning software making the creation of these files transparent to the user.

Integration of the FME module in cable planning software is an important advancement to the submarine cable engineer because it bridges the gap between Geomedia, the most commonly used GIS platform for cable planners, and the many different data types typically found when collecting data relevant to a cable path. These include proprietary data types, such as ESRI ArcInfo and Autodesk AutoCAD, and other non-proprietary data formats, such as the International H y d r o g r a p h i c Organization S-57 standard for navigation charts. In total, there are over 150+ different GIS formats that are now accessible to submarine cable planners through the use of the FME module.

The process of adding GIS data to the cable planning software is easy regardless of the format. A basic ESRI shapefile is just as easy to import as a complex S-57 navigation

chart. The process involves choosing the format, the coordinate system, and the specific layers containing the data of interest. Bathymetry data, in the form of AutoCAD bathymetric contours, requires the same information and follows the same easy steps.

The benefits of the FME Module for the submarine cable planner are two-fold. First, spatial data that may not have been available to the Geomedia platform can now be easily incorporated into the planning software and used in route analyses. Second, the time saved in transforming multiple data types can be put to more productive endeavors such as refining the cable route or installation plan.

The GIS revolution has transformed the way submarine cable planners compile, manage and analyze data from different sources in order to arrive at the best possible cable route. Competing GIS platforms and data types have resulted in problems integrating multiple forms of data. A new tool available to cable planners alleviates much of the difficulty in integrating multiple formats of spatial data into a common GIS platform for cable route analyses. The tool benefits the cable planner by making available a wider spectrum of spatial data

and increasing the efficiency of the planning process resulting in lower planning costs and allowing for more time spent on analyses critical to the installation of the submarine cable.

Michael Nedbal has been involved in the telecommunication industry for the past 10 years and currently works as the Operations Coordinator for Makai Ocean Engineering. In addition to supporting new product development, product testing, and product delivery, he is actively involved in research for

submarine cable desktop studies and projects related to ocean-based sources of renewable energy. He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and B.S. from University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.

working in a GIS environment is a necessity for modern day submarine cable planners

Figure 1 – FME is a powerful spatial toolset that integrates with the cable route planning software making it easy for planners to translate, transform and integrate spatial data in a wide variety of formats.

Figure 2 – the process of importing GIS data is simple regardless of the type or complexity of the data.

Figure 3 – the FME toolset was used to overlay an S-57 navigation chart on top of a landsat image of Pearl Harbor.

Erik Rynning Sales & Project Manager Offshore:“We produced the so far world’s deepest umbilical which was

installed at 2350 metre in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Telecom:Rolf BøePhone: +47 22 88 62 23E-mail: rolf.boe@nexans.com

Oil & Gas:Jon SeipPhone: +47 22 88 62 22E-mail: jon.seip@nexans.com

Nexans was the first to manufacture and install a 384 fibre submarine cable. Nexans has qualified and installed their URC-1 cable family for fibre counts up to 384 fibres.

For further information please contact:Nexans Norway ASP.O. Box 6450 EtterstadN-0605 Oslo NorwayPhone: +47 22 88 61 00Fax: +47 22 88 61 01

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At submarine depths, Nexans goes deeper

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For those of us who can remember route surveying with Loran C and SatNav, the introduction of GPS and Differential GPS was a dream come true. Gone were the vagaries and uncertainties; in came reliable accuracy and precision transforming vessel positioning from an art form to a science. Since those heady days, DGPS has become a by-word for navigation – the norm, not the exception. Accuracy improvements accompanied by cost reductions were all very welcomed by the industry. But technology moves on and the days of the DGPS are passing, replaced by Globally Corrected GNSS (GcGPS) thanks to advances in Precise Point Positioning.

The accuracy and precision of traditional DGPS depended on estimating the errors observed by a network of reference stations. As the network’s spatial configuration opened and the distances

from reference stations grew, so the accuracy became compromised. This was particularly evident in mid-ocean, far from the nearest stations. DGPS essentially treated the symptoms and not the causes of the errors. To address that deficiency, C&C Technologies, Inc introduced its C-Nav GcGPS system.

Unlike DGPS, C-Nav corrects for the source of the errors: the uncertainties in the GPS satellites’ clock and orbital parameters, satellite antenna alignment phase errors, and the modelable errors associated with dynamic tides and atmospherics. C-Nav’s software, with its pedigree in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Real-Time GIPSY (RTG) suite, is an advanced proprietary RTG development for realizing the dynamic version of Precise Point Positioning. C-Nav delivers a single set of globally valid corrections for all GPS

satellites – irrespective of distance from land. The correction stream is broadcast to the user community through two independent networks; NET-1 and NET-2. Each network comprises of three high-power satellites to cover the Earth while facilitating the use of very small integrated GPS / L-Band antenna designs.

C-Nav’s international Satellite Based Augmentation System SBAS, delivers real-time dynamic positioning accuracy (x, y and z) at the decimetric level. It includes many layers of security, quality control, resilience and assured access to provide a unique and robust solution to the cable industry’s need for self-regulating (autonomous) independent horizontal and vertical positioning solutions.

The C-Nav ground segment comprises of a dense network of tracking stations around the world. Typically, up to seven stations track simultaneously the same GPS satellite. The C-Nav tracking stations are equipped with dual frequency receivers operating through a common IGS-style choke ring antenna; these stations are further augmented with tracking stations of the NASA/JPL network. The system is controlled through two independent, geographically separated, Processing Centers. Each centre receives the full complement of tracking station data with a latency of less than two seconds. With hot primary and secondary production layers at each Processing Centre, four sets of orbit and clock correction values are generated.

The six geostationary high-power Inmarsat communication satellites provide global L-Band distribution between about 75° north and south

GoodbyeDifferential GPS:Introducing the

New Generation ofPrecision Positioning

for Cable Surveys,Installation

& Maintenance

By Edwin Danson

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latitudes. The satellite constellation is uplinked through six land earth stations, each equipped with primary and secondary layers of equipment. Each layer receives the corrections from both Processing Centers. The NET-1 and NET-2 satellite constellations are constantly monitored by the Processing Centers to ensure service continuity and data quality.

In the user domain, Kalman filtering solves for satellite and receiver channel biases and a least squares solution calculates the position based on phase-smoothed refraction and bias-corrected code observables. The Precise Point Positioning (state-space) technique is so refined as to include corrections for distorting Earth-tides and ocean loading (and other geodetic effects) through an algorithm accessing the proprietary Sinko Earth-tide model.

It was to meet the demands of C&C Technologies’ government and private sector customers that the real-time positioning of the C-Nav system was set at typically 10 cm level (in term of ITRF

2005) with a vertical accuracy of 15 cm. This level of accuracy enables the widest range of users to benefit. The C-Nav community includes the maritime and on-shore sector, the offshore oil & gas industry, RTK augmentation, airborne platform and autonomous robotic vehicle operators, ROV and DP operators, naval and EEZ charting and, of course, the submarine cable industry.

However, it was to address the growing need for autonomous assured independence in solution integrity, quality assurance and confidence, that the latest advances in C-Nav have been instigated. The C-Nav’s service is based on a worldwide over-determinate tracking network and enjoys the exclusive benefit of generating and applying the satellite orbit and clock correctors in a tightly modeled integrated RTG solution. The vulnerability of system failure is mitigated by redundancy through route diversity and system backups. This robust structure provides redundancy at each layer.

• The tracking network has a 6:1 excess ratio; stations can be removed from the solution without affecting system performance;

• The two Processing Centers each determine two independent RTG solutions which are compared for veracity before broadcast;

• The communication satellite NET-1 and NET-2 configuration provides spatially independent communication delivery between the hubs and user community;

• All C-Nav tracking stations have dual racks of equipment. In the event that a performance flag identifies an anomaly, a rack can be excluded without impacting the solution;

• Each C-Nav tracking station has multiple communication links to the Processing Centers. In the event of a communications failure, an alternate method of communication is automatically put on line;

• Each system user may employ multiple and / or differing C-Nav receivers;

• The C-Nav GPS receivers can be configured to operate with either NET-1 or NET-2 correction signals or with both Networks for maximum reliability and technical redundancy;

• The NET-1 and NET-2 configuration provides for independent delivery over each ocean region.

Customers’ have a choice of receivers. The 26-channel Nav2050 dual-frequency receiver with integrated L-Band receiver and tri-band antenna delivers typically 10 cm horizontal and 15 cm vertical accuracy. The C-Nav1010 L1 receiver, in common with all C-Nav receivers, integrates C-Nav correctors as well as WAAS / EGNOS data and provides sub-meter accuracy and is designed to maximize precision and stability in noisy and hostile environments. The C-Nav2000 is a ‘smart-antenna’ design with an integrated dual-frequency GPS, L-Band demodulator, and a tri-band antenna in one package.

DGPS has becomea by-wordfor naviga-tion

Cable route survey vessel Akademik

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Benefits of accuracy and precision

So what’s the point, it could be asked, for enjoying 10 cm accuracy in the middle of the Pacific for a vessel steaming several thousands of meters above the ocean floor? The point has many answers.

Firstly, dynamic Precise Point Positioning, if done right, cannot offer anything other than great precision. There are no cost savings associated with a degraded performance, so 10 cm horizontal and 15 cm vertical is what you get, along the coast, inshore, offshore and in mid-ocean. The benefits of being able to correct for water level changes is one obvious attraction.

Secondly, it is a cost-attractive solution compared with traditional DGPS – C-Nav passes on these cost-savings directly to the customer, reflected in the extremely competitive pricing structures.

Thirdly, C-Nav PPP is inherently robust so ‘outages’ are rare and precision is predictably assured. The design of the system, its inbuilt autonomy, is such that there is no longer need for

a second ‘QC’ system – it’s all there in C-Nav.

Fourthly, having high positional accuracy virtually eliminates any ‘noise’ from the error budget so the management of swath (e.g. multibeam) system errors can be reduced to those inherent in the swath systems and those associated with sound-in-water. In shallow seas and coastal areas, where seabed information is critical to safe cable installation, the benefits of great precision are immediately obvious in the swath data.

Fifthly, for station keeping when operating ROVs and recovery systems, for geotechnical investigations and other critical tasks, the stability

C-Nav 2020 dual frequency receiver

Laurentides LES- C-Nav’s NET-2 uplink covering eastern Pacific and western Atlantic

and precision of C-Nav provides for a safe and reliable DP input.

Lastly, the C-Nav Division of C&C Technologies, with over 15 years delivering quality GPS solutions, has learned and built on its own experience, and that of its competitors, to develop, operate a deliver a positioning solution worthy of the 21st Century.

Ed Danson is C-Nav’s Business Development consultant based in Europe. His career in marine geospatial engineering began in 1972 at UEL, the university for which he is now an external examiner. He has been

involved with DGPS since its beginnings and has led a number of teams developing many of the innovative solutions in the market today. He is a Chartered Surveyor and was President of the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors 2006-7. He writes widely on industry matters and has four technical and three non-fiction books to his credit.

There areno cost savings associated with a degraded performance

CTC Marine Projects

Technology Leader

Tel: +44 (0) 1325 390 500Email: marketing@ctcmarine.com ctcmarine.com

Ploughs Trenchers ROVs

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In January of 2007 MTC Technologies, Inc. – (recently acquired by BAE Systems), as a subcontractor to Multimax/Harris on the Air Force’s Information Technology Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract vehicle NETCENTS, was awarded a $24 million dollar contract to install 18 miles of hurricane survivable fiber optic cable on Santa Rosa Island in Ft. Walton Beach, Fl. This cable supports the Range Information Grid (RIG) for the 46th and 96th Test Wings at Eglin Air Force Base. The RIG is used to collect telemetry data from flight and weapons tests conducted in the nation’s largest weapons test range located over the Gulf of Mexico. Such tests include flights of new airframes as well as test firings of new air launched weapons technologies.

Eglin AFB - Santa Rosa Island Survivable Fiber Project

Jan 2007 – May 2008

Mission ImpossibleBy Roger Hornsby

In 2004 and 2005 the existing fiber suffered damage from hurricanes and was rendered useless in washout areas that formed between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf. The previous installation had been direct-buried 5-6 feet below the surface, which

proved to be ineffective under extreme meteorological conditions.

MultiMax/Harris teamed with MTC’s C4ISR Southeast Operations Engineering Division in Satellite Beach, FL and was selected to conduct an in-depth site survey to determine a better solution that offered a greater chance of surviving the storms that the Gulf region is so accustomed to. Over the course of a month MTC conducted the survey and drafted a Telecommunication Systems Installation Plan (TSIP) that impressed the selection authority at Eglin AFB. The proposed solution incorporated horizontally direct drill boring at 20 feet below the surface, pulling back 8” hardened conduit, installing inner duct, and then installing 244 strand fiber through the inner duct. It was determined that this solution presented greater than a 90% survival rate should a major hurricane impact the island. If the fiber were to wash up from this depth there would be much bigger problems than inoperable cable, the majority of the island would likely be washed away. The government was pleased with this solution and issued a Task Order for the team to perform the installation. Mr. Rich Font, 96th Comm Group, Director Plans and Programs, stated “We didn’t know if we would be able to find a contractor will to take on this unique challenge. Not only did we find a contractor that agreed to take it on – we found a contractor with innovative ideas – and we now have survivable fiber on our test range. The work that this team accomplished is absolutely amazing – no major delays, no serious injuries, and no environmental impact – simply outstanding!”

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A project of this size and scope presented many different obstacles. For starters, it had never been attempted in this particular soil environment. The project was initially plagued with equipment malfunctions due to the boring crews being unfamiliar with boring at that depth in that type of soil. It was originally planned to make “shots” at distances of 2000 to 3500 feet but the teams quickly learned that the bendonite mixture used to sustain the walls of the bore was greatly affected by the salinity of the water underground. This was especially true during periods of high tide when the water table would rise significantly. Through trial and error the team realized that the bendonite could only hold at distances of just over 1000 feet. Also a major challenge was the “tie-in” process where the outer-duct runs were fused together at the 20 foot depth. This called for a 150x100 foot pit to be dug to a

25 foot depth. The outer-duct was then fused together with a specially designed coupling. Each tie-in pit had to be dewatered for a period of 3-5 days before digging could commence.

Another challenge the team faced were the environmental issues that the island presented. There are several types of endangered species and plant life present on Santa Rosa Island, as well as historical and cultural areas, that had to be avoided. The team had to steer clear of these

areas when plotting the bore path. To mitigate the risk of encroaching on these areas the team heavily involved the appropriate environmental organizations to ensure compliance with all guidelines and mandates. The environmental representatives lauded the team for this approach as no other contractors had ever included them from the onset of a project. This effort proved invaluable to getting the bore plot approved.

As if those weren’t enough obstacles to overcome, the team faced the challenge of meeting the requirement of a 6000 foot fiber run under the Intracoastal Waterway to complete the SONET loop back to Hurlbert AFB on the mainland. Several techniques were considered, to include laying fiber on the floor of the sound. However, the permitting process for that solution could have taken up to 3 years; a time frame unacceptable to the government. Since the team was already boring fiber along the entire island it was decided to bore under the sound at depths up to 30 feet below the bottom of the river bed.

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Depiction of technique used to bore 6000 feet across the sound. Bore depth reached greater than 30 feet below the bottom of the sound.

<------

MTC C4ISR Southeast Operations Sr. Director Ron Prudhomme (right) and Sr. Program Manager Roger Hornsby

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MTC had been involved in many infrastructure installations prior to this project but nothing compares to the size and scope of this effort. At the height of the operation there were 10 boring companies on-site. In order to ensure all aspects of the project were managed correctly MTC brought the Great Eastern Group – to oversee the extremely important job of Quality Assurance. GEG has an excellent reputation in submarine cabling and their team lived up to it. This installation could not have been completed on budget and schedule without their technical expertise and significant contributions.

Other subcontractors that contributed to the effort were: Trans-Tel Central – Outside Plant, Biological Research Association – Environmental Issues, and Columbine Cable – Inside Plant.

Other organizations had considered tackling this project but thought it was too risky for them to pursue, or they presented solutions that were unacceptable to the customer. C4ISR Southeast Operations leveraged their “there are no problems, only solutions” approach they have utilized on infrastructure efforts in over 30 countries and on all 7 continents to deliver a truly hurricane survivable solution to assist the US Air Force in conducting a very important mission.

The Team installed 116,135 feet of outer-duct, 379,316 feet of inner-duct, and 235,225 feet of fiber. This connected to 27 buildings throughout the island and mainland. Mission Impossible – Accomplished.

------>

Washed up fiber after 2005 hurricane season.

Roger Hornsby is the Senior Program Manager for all program efforts within the Satellite Beach Operations, Technical Services Solutions, BAE Systems. He has over 30 years experience supporting DoD efforts. Roger retired from the USAF in 1994 and has continued to serve the Government on multiple defense contracts. He is committed to assisting our military and Government agencies by providing outstanding support on many contract vehicles.

While on active duty with the USAF, Mr. Hornsby distinguished himself in many different roles including: Avionics Technician specializing in electro-optic, laser, and “other” sensor systems; Quality Assurance NCO for data analysis; Lead Technician for classified R&D sensor systems; and Senior Technician for the Special Operations Branch that supplied direct support for the Threshold Test Ban, Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces, and the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaties.

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25

BackgroundThe general technology area involving power supplies can be termed Power Conversion Technology. Within power conversion technology, there are many types of power supplies and devices for many varied applications. High Voltage power supplies are one of many niche markets existing in this broad technology area. Power Feed Equipment (PFE) is an even smaller niche within High Voltage power conversion technologies. For this reason, and others, PFE has traditionally been designed and manufactured by the captive manufacturers of undersea cable systems. Historically, this strategy was driven by the critical application knowledge required to design PFE, and the absence of this knowledge in the broader High Voltage power supply technology sectors. However, with power conversion technology advancing at a rapid rate, it is difficult for a systems manufacturer to devote the resources required to keep current on these advances.

Outsourcing Model Advances PFE TechnologyIn the early 1990’s the strategy of outsourcing “non-core technologies” started to take off. Many large companies doing complex systems outsourced subsystem components to companies specializing in the applicable technology. This strategy was adopted back then by AT&T (now Tyco Telecommunications) for a new low-cost PFE project. By partnering with a manufacturer dedicated to High Voltage power supply manufacturing, paired with AT&T’s application knowledge, unique solutions were implemented for PFE requirements. (Figure 1 shows a converter sub-system developed for AT&T in the early 90’s).

High Voltage Power Supply Technology for Use in

Power Feed Applications

byCliff Scapellati

&Paul Treglia

To date, this type of partnership is leading the way for future advances in PFE technologies. Key benefits are in the areas of smaller size, lower price, lower cost of ownership, and higher system reliability.

High Voltage Technology Basics

Let’s start off with a Warning: The High Voltage potential used in any PFE is Lethal! Only qualified operators and service personnel should be using or accessing any High Voltage equipment.

The High Voltage power supply as used in the PFE is often termed the Converter. Accurately so, because it converts one form of DC (-48 volts) to another form of DC (High Voltage DC). Within the converter there are a few basic building blocks:

Input Power processing: Provides input power filtering and circuit protection. Often in Telecom applications dual-input battery power sources (BAT A and BAT B) are used. This provides redundant input power sources for each device.

Inverter: Within any modern Converter is an Inverter. An Inverter “inverts” the DC power source to a high frequency ac power source. This allows for compact magnetic assemblies and high performance features such as ultra-low output ripple and fast output regulation response. The inverter uses high-speed transistors to “switch” the DC into

Figure 1

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an ac signal. (Since Telecom power supplies are usually powered from 48 volts, MOSFET’s are the best transistor technology to use).

High Voltage step-up Transformer: The high frequency ac power source is connected to a transformer with a high step-up ratio. In PFE applications, the transformer secondary winding needs to be isolated to voltages up to and greater than the output voltage rating of the PFE (typically 2x, to ensure high reliability)

Output rectifier: Since the application requires a DC source, yes, we need to invert that AC back into DC again. This is accomplished by high speed, high voltage rectifier diodes. (These multiple stages of inversion may seem like a silly process to someone outside the power supply field, but it is the best way to achieve the end goal).

Control: All of the building blocks of the Converter are monitored and controlled by control circuit electronics. In modern Converters, these circuits utilize advanced Digital Signal Processors (DSP) and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). In PFE applications, the control circuits communicate to the PFE system controller for all control and monitoring.

The Converter is packaged into an easy to replace blind-mating unit know as a FRU, (Field Replaceable Unit). Most of the FRU’s within the PFE are blind-mating which allows quick replacement in case of failure.

For PFE applications, multiple converters are often used to provide modularity to suit a variety of output voltage configurations, and for redundancy in the case of any individual converter going off-line.

PFE’s Unique RequirementsIn practice, the Converter is actually the most conventional component within the PFE. (Hence

it makes sense that the converter portion of the PFE was the first part of the PFE system to be outsourced). In addition to the Converter, PFE has many other functional building blocks:

Safety: Although somewhat an intangible item, Safety is the major building block consideration when designing the PFE. Because the cable can be powered from either end, (a term known as Double-end Feeding), there exists the possibility of High Voltage being present even if the local PFE is turned off. Significant safety systems are deployed in PFE. These typically involve high-level, redundant monitors, Fail-safe switching devices, protection barriers, key-lock interlocks and access systems.

Reliability: Since downtime is so costly, high reliability in Telecom equipment is mandatory and PFE is no exception. High reliability in the PFE is achieved via a combination of redundancy, high derating, and increased clearance spacing of all critical components. The margins are tested with a rigorous validation test plan to ensure the design performs as expected under all worst-case conditions in the field. Low Corona is also required in all High Voltage assemblies within the PFE and must be tested on every assembly built. Providing High Voltage assemblies with Low Corona is a daunting task. It is achieved by very specialized techniques utilized within the High Voltage Industry.

DC Distribution and Monitoring: Provides circuit breaker protection for each FRU and DC power distribution for the entire PFE.

PFE Local Controller: Provides Local control and monitoring of the PFE via a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The Local Controller typically consists of an industrial PC (server), a multi-channel Ethernet switch connecting all other modules within the PFE together, a keyboard, mouse, and LCD

display and/or touch-screen. The Local Controller directly communicates with the cable station’s network management system for monitoring and limit control of the PFE. (For safety reasons, often controlling the PFE settings remotely is not done. However, modern PFE’s can offer unique remote control features that facilitate remote diagnosis of PFE or cable problems).

Cable Monitoring and Access: The output of the Converters power the submarine cable via sophisticated monitoring and protection devices. Cable access and termination (shorting or opening) is also being provided at the PFE output point. This access point can be used to insert other ancillary cable testing devices into the cable path. Due to the dangers of High Voltage being present, s i g n i f i c a n t safety features need to be incorporated at this point, and throughout the PFE. Figure 2 shows a PFE Cable monitoring FRU, with Cable access and terminating mechanisms.

Figure 2

Figure 3

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and solutions are in the works, which have the possibility of providing significantly smaller systems with higher voltage capabilities, as well as low-cost, lower-voltage units (e.g. for branching power requirements). Thanks and acknowledgement to Tyco Telecommunications for their contributions to PFE technology advancement by providing cable powering expertise, and for use of some photos herein.

Test Load: The Test Load unit allows testing of a Converter within the PFE cabinet while the Cable remains powered by the redundant Converters. Or similarly, both converters can be tested on the Test Load. The Test Load is a unique concept in deployed High Voltage systems, found only in PFE’s. Traditionally, the Test Load was configured from an array of passive, fixed resistors. In order to change the load settings, high voltage relays were employed to select and reconfigure the fixed resistors. Nowadays, electronic test loads are available. These test loads use an array of active MOSFET transistors. The transistors can be programmed to offer an infinite range of load configurations within the PFE’s capabilities. In addition, highly compact Test Loads can be achieved. These modern Test Loads do come at a premium price though. However, their small size can offer a massive reduction in the size of the cabinets used for just the Test Load. Indeed, modern PFE’s can be realized within a single cabinet, including the Test Load! Figure 3 shows a modern 5kW Electronic Test Load, along with Figure 4, one of its MOSFET card arrays.

The Cabinet: Often referred to as “The Bay”, a PFE cabinet has some conventional, as well as unique features. The complete PFE needs to meet seismic requirements per GR-63-CORE. The cabinet design is a critical factor in meeting this requirement. Due to the custom nature of the PFE hardware, the

cabinet too is a custom design. Safety interlocks and High Voltage cable routings need custom solutions. Modern single-bay PFE’s incorporate unique “Trap Door” mechanisms that allow removal of the FRU’s while High Voltage is present. The trap doors provide spring-loaded barrier protection so that live circuits cannot be touched if modules are removed. Figure 5 shows the innards of a PFE cabinet. Virtually all of the mechanics need to be custom designed.

PFE for Cable Laying ShipsA lesser known, but equally demanding need for PFE is in the cable laying ships. As a cable is placed, it is being tested with a Shipboard PFE system. During the cable laying boom of the 1990’s, nearly 100 shipboard PFE systems were put into service. These shipboard PFE systems are functionally very similar to standard land based PFE, only with reduced functionality and requirements, (and a substantially lower price). The shipboard PFE can operate from 220 VAC supplied from ship generators, and generally can use more “Off the Shelf” High Voltage power supply units. (No need to carry all those batteries on board and hopefully no seismic events while out at sea). But reliability is still paramount for the shipboard PFE, as a PFE failure out at sea would stop cable deployment until help arrived.

ConclusionIt has been demonstrated with the bringing together of experts in undersea cable powering applications and High Voltage power conversion technology, that highly advanced PFE solutions have been designed and deployed. Future advancements

Figure 4

Figure 5

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Or should I be asking “Does good customer service make a project a success?” Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely no complaints with my customers (some of my customers customer’s; maybe) and with extraordinarily rare exceptions everyone in this industry is great to work with, dedicated and possibly, above all else obliging and cooperative.

I am puzzled, though, at how to improve the relationship, how to give my customer what he wants and where does price start to effect customer satisfaction. In fact does the customer realise the cost of some “hidden” requirements, perhaps taken for granted in a larger conglomerate?

Okay, So, I can now hear you asking “So what’s his grouse?” Well, I know we are only as good as our last job. It has long been my philosophy that no project is

a success unless the customer is happy. But, what does it take to please the customer these days? And, is the customer always right? Perhaps more to the point: does he know when he has got what he wants?

The following quotation from Peter Druker (“the father of modern corporate management”) underlines my point.

“It is the customer who determines what a business is. It is the customer alone whose willingness to pay for a goods or service converts economic resources into wealth, things into goods. What the business thinks it produces is not of first importance - especially not to the future of the business and to its success…What the customers thinks he is buying, what he considers value, is decisive - it determines what a business is,

what it produces and whether it will prosper. And what the customer buys and considers value is never a product. It is always a utility, that is what a product or service does for him…”

Our challenge from this is to find out what our customers want.

The true relationship with one’s customer is confirmed only when it is tested to the limit, when things get tough. My personal experience has seen a fantastic level of support from those people who put faith in our ability to deliver.

What is written in a contract is one thing, but who are we actually working for, who actually has authority, or maybe it is who has the most influence. Is it the end client, the on site representative or maybe, even another third party that stands between one of these entities? The answer to this question can seriously impinge on the relationship with the “contracted customer”.

In this day and age it is not just the engineering of a project we have to worry about; one is expected to understand and work to, heaven knows how many regulations, on Quality, Health & Safety, Environment, Waste Disposal, SOLAS and the vagaries of local government agencies, how does the small contractor cope? Now I can hear you say, “If you don’t want to do it, get out!” but that is not my point. How much is one prepared to pay for it? Maybe more importantly, how long will we get to put the paperwork in order?

I have written here before about the costs involved in leaving things to the last minute and I will not go over that again. I have come to the conclusion things will not change. It is that sort of business. The fact is, though, that it all costs money.

It costs money to be innovative and it costs money to be prepared. Procedures, reports, trials, development, modifications all have to be cultivated to the satisfaction of our customers, but not to their cost.

Customer Service – What Makes a

Successful Project?

by Chris Butler

30

If we invest, time energy (and money) into the customer’s demands are we properly rewarded? I don’t think so. Being close to the end of the food chain should not devalue the expertise and professionalism that contributes to making a successful project – a properly installed cable (which, arguably, does not necessarily mean in accordance with the exactitudes of the contract).

Recent events in which I have been involved have made it clearer than ever to me that considerable investment is required in tooling, methodology, personnel and above all preparation to make a project successful. The financial aspects of this are only one area to consider. Time is another. Finding time and at what stage is it worth spending the time are two more questions that have to be asked. How do I minimise the project risk? What are my risks and what are my customer’s risks? How much risk should I agree to take and how much is reasonable for my customer to accept? How is the overall project budget minimised – irrespective of who take the risk?

The vision is clear for the future; investment is required in engineering skills, systems, procedures and equipment. Forward planning is essential, local knowledge crucial and customer cooperation welcomed. In this the team that I have around me are in no doubt.

The continuing credit spiral also has its impact. The pressure amongst individuals in a large organisation to purchase efficiently is blinkered when is come to the shore end contractor. Cash flow management is essential in today’s business environment; however, “targets” on items such as this takes the common sense approach out of contracting. It may work in the manufacturing industry where the cost of a widget can be controlled but delaying payment to an end of the line contractor simply because his Customer’s Customer has delayed payment policy causes no end of pressure for the smaller contractor. For Example

A 30 day project with the vast majority of the payment on completion could end up looking like this for the contractor. Day 1 Contractor charters vessel (payment 30 days in advance), Day 30 project finished, invoice

submitted (payment 60 days); Day 90 payment received. That requires project financing by the contractor for three months at yet a further additional cost. In reality what are we talking about here? Perhaps 1% of the Head Contract price, I doubt, in most circumstances more that 5%.

In the end it all comes down to price. A fair price for a fair job. The foregoing improvements are necessary for a slick operation. But, clearly, if we are operating within ISO quality procedures, sending personnel to conduct site visits prior to contract awards, etc. there is a cost involved above those who do not show the same commitment to the industry.

In reality a set-up as described here, dedicated to customer service and on time delivery is going to have an overhead above those who are not serious about quality and performance. Our customers are telling us that is required. What we are asking is; Is that what you want? And; how do you differentiate between those that do and those that don’t?

Is it so difficult to consider the future, especially when cable ships are signed up for 18-24 months ahead? Can we not achieve cost reductions by good planning and economies of scale rather that looking at each project as an entity in its own right?

I am more than aware that there are many Installation Project Managers willing to make the points I am raising and many that would agree. I am also aware project budgets and financial investors/constraints conflict with good engineering practice. We have a strong industry at the moment, but one where engineering innovation has been restricted over recent years. The innovation I am suggesting here is back to basics stuff where preparation is the key to success and failure will be much more costly; with the effect that time and money that are better used on business-building activities are drawn into the black hole of failure.

This black hole of failure, of course, affects both the customer and the contractor. Neither party comes out a winner, however small, however insignificant and however isolated. Continuous improvement will help

with errors but failure eventually becomes terminal. It has to be engineered out.

I am urging those of you with influence in the industry to consider the smaller contractors. It is not possible to have a “one man band” price with multinational company performance. It is just not feasible; not financially, not from a resource perspective.

Off course I like a challenge, but just sometimes I would also like the easy option, the one that is there because we have done it countless times before: and because it is the best way of doing things! The trouble is then, the sub-contractor’s professional approach that I have outlined above makes us more expensive than the competition. Fair do’s, competition is good, competition keeps us on our toes but only when the playing field is level. Fair enough politics, maintaining completion and personnel preferences will always play its part, however I go back to my earlier question.

What does the customer really want? Do you really know?

Chris Butler has a 19-year background with the commercial and contractual aspects of submarine cable installation. Technically qualified, he has the advantage of looking at the industry from the eyes of system owner, system supplier, shallow water specialist and deep water

installer and has enjoyed the responsibilities of Product Management, contract negotiation and profit & loss. Chris joined Denholm Offshore Limited in July 2008 as Commercial Director with the responsibility of building a new shallow waster cable installation business.

What does the customer really want? Do you really know?

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32

Introduction

The use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)

in all areas of ocean exploration and mapping is expanding very

rapidly. Initially built primarily for military purposes and for scientific

exploration, these vehicles are now regularly equipped for seabed mapping using a full suite of

sonar systems, including multibeam echo sounders to provide swath bathymetry, multifrequency side-scan sonars, and subbottom profilers. There are over 20 of these full-function sonar mapping AUVs in operation today, and more being built. Over a hundred more specialized AUVs are operating with cameras, laser sensors, magnetometers, and a wide variety of oceanographic and chemical sensors.

Full function seafloor mapping AUVs provide very high resolution throughout their operating range, typically to 3,000 meters water depth, because they operate at low altitudes -- often 30-50 meters above the seafloor. These AUVs use precise inertial navigation systems that are aided with position control from surface vessels and/or navigation transponders on the seafloor to maintain position accuracy that can be made accurate to a few meters. The sonar data acquired by a state-of-the-art AUV typically includes bathymetry that is accurate to a few tens of centimeters,

resolution of geologic features and other objects that are only a few tens of

centimeters in size, and very precise acoustic profiles of the uppermost 10-30 meters of seabed

sediments. The resultant data are as precise as would be expected using specialized survey vessels on the surface in water depths of less than 50 meters. AUVs maintain this precision to their full operational depth.

To date AUVs have not been used for telecommunication cable surveys because they are considerably more expensive per route-kilometer, and because cable installations do not typically require the very high precision data that is necessary for pipelines and other complex seafloor installations. Cables are routed around areas of unfavorable seafloor, avoiding where possible the need to pick a fine route through specific small hazards on the bottom. The cable, and cable plows, can not be positioned on the seafloor with anywhere near the precision of an AUV map.

Present AUV Applications

By far the most use for full function AUVs in today’s market is for oil and gas development and production in deep water. Pipeline routes and the placement of drilling and production platforms require very precise seabed data. Sonar data acquired from surface vessels begin to lose the necessary resolution at around 300 meters water depth. Deep towed sonars do not have the necessary navigational accuracy unless they are positioned with a chase boat (adding considerable expense), and typically do not operate deeper than about 1,000 meters. Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) can conduct sonar surveys, but are slow and require a DP vessel – so are even more expensive than AUVs.

The use of AUVs in the oil and gas industry will continue to grow at a very fast rate as this industry pushes into deeper water. Present predictions are that production in water depths greater than 2,000 meters will nearly double in the next three years, and continue this rapid growth in the near term. This growth will buoy the AUV market, particularly offshore West Africa, Brazil, and even Egypt.

Most of the full function AUVs in operation today are large vehicles, such as the Hugin 3000 shown in Figure 1, that require a large dedicated surface support vessel. The mobilization of these large AUVs, and transporting them between jobs on the specialized vessel, adds considerably to their cost. Several smaller AUVs that still have the full suite of swath bathymetry, side-scan and subbottom sonars,

Figure 1: The full-function Fugro Echo Surveyor (a Hugin 3000) normally operated for large projects on a dedicated vessel. There are presently five Hugin 3000’s in commercial operation, with more on order.

33

and the essential precision inertial navigation systems are now coming into use. The Echo Mapper (Figure 2), based on a Bluefin 21 vehicle, is a full function AUV that can be quickly broken into three sections that are easily transported on commercial passenger aircraft. This air transportability and relative ease of mobilization onto relatively small vessels makes this type of AUV particularly attractive for relatively small surveys in remote areas.

The Future for AUVs and Submarine Telecommunication Cables

Several factors suggest that AUVs may become a more attractive tool for submarine telecommunication cable survey work in the future. As more AUVs are built and come in to operation, they will become less expensive. It is unlikely that AUVs will ever be as inexpensive per route-kilometer as surface vessel or even deep-towed surveys, but there are several other factors that need to be considered.

For appropriate projects AUVs, particularly the smaller systems like the Echo Mapper, could even be temporarily mobilized onto cable installation or maintenance vessels.

This might be a cost-effective solution for surveys that are needed in remote locations, such as re-routing a cable that has suffered a fault due to a local hazard.

As more and more cables are installed, in some regions this will cause congestion that will force new cables to go over routes that would have been considered too hazardous for the previously installed cables. In some cases the very high precision provided by an AUV survey would help mitigate the risk of routing the cable over previously unacceptable regions of the seafloor.

Other Types of AUV Surveys

In many cases, AUV surveys will be ideal for electric power cables that are installed in deeper water. Power cables require precise surveys because they are larger and have a much greater bending radius than telecommunications cables. This means that power cables are more susceptible to being suspended if there is any relief on hard seafloor. In addition, electrical power cables generally have thermal dissipation constraints which govern how deeply they can be buried in certain types of seafloor. Although most present power cables traverse relatively shallow areas, in the future there will be cables between places like the Hawaiian Islands, where short, but very deep, routes will be required. AUV surveys will be ideal, and perhaps essential, for these deep power cables. Again, using Hawaii as an example, the ability to bring an AUV in on commercial aircraft and mobilize onto a local vessel-of-opportunity will be important.

In many areas of the world there are now plans, and some early-stage projects, for installing ocean energy generating devices. All these devices, including windmills, will require power cables between devices and to shore, although many will be in shallow water. Some installations, however, will be in deeper water (such as turbines off Florida to harness energy from the Gulf Stream) and would be appropriate for AUV surveys. These installations are necessarily going into high-energy environments that would normally be avoided for a cable route. These high energy environments

will also likely require precision repeat surveys to monitor changes to the seabed around the cabled installation, both for maintenance of the seafloor installation and, in some cases, for environmental monitoring.

The precision available from AUV surveys is illustrated in Figure 3, which shows seabed scouring around chunks of reef material that have broken off and rolled downslope into about 500 meters water depth. This area was previously considered to be quiet, low-energy, seafloor – yet there are unexpected deep scours and sand waves that have not been mapped from the surface, but show very clearly in the AUV data. It is now apparent that the seabed is quite active, so any installation on this seabed would need to be designed appropriately for the environment.

There are also a number of deep ocean observatories now being planned, and in some cases installation has begun. In most cases the cables that operate these observatories and bring data ashore have the same survey requirements as commercial telecom cables, so do not require AUV surveys. The areas around the seabed sensors, however, will require very precise surveys. In many cases, multiple sensors will be installed at nodal positions along the main cable backbone of the observatories. These nodes will have a variety of sensors, such as seismometers, various devices

Figure 2: Fugro Echo Mapper, also a full-function AUV which is designed to be small and air-transportable. The entire vessel kit, including all navigation gear and the articulated launch/recovery A-frame in the picture, can be flown worldwide on passenger aircraft for mobilization on local vessels.

Figure 3: 50-centimeter bathymetry contours showing over 2 meters of sediment scouring around coral boulders.

...production in water depths greater than 2,000 meters will nearly double in the next three years...

34

for monitoring chemical and physical character of water, devices for monitoring aquatic and even sub-seabed life, etc. These installations have a design life of 25 years. They need to be installed in such a way that they do not disturb their environment, and so that there is no interference or effect of one type of sensor on another sensor. The placement of the cables connecting these various sensors must also meet the same criteria. These nodal regions, which can be fairly large, will require AUV surveys to provide the detailed seabed maps required for effective installation.

As with the ocean energy generation systems, the ocean observatories are being installed in areas of active and complex geology (such as crustal spreading ridges and plate conversion zones) that would normally be avoided for commercial cables. Installation of the inter-connecting cables will likely be tricky, with lots of rocky bottom with high relief. Over the 25-year design life of these observatories there will likely be crustal movement on the order of tens of centimeters in some areas such as the more active convergent plate boundaries– enough to pose a threat to the cables. On the positive side, this amount of crustal deformation would be measurable using precise AUV mapping that is controlled by bottom navigation.

As discussed in the September 2007 issue of Submarine Telecoms Forum, high bandwidth submarine cables are also being rapidly installed to connect offshore oil and gas production platforms to land. These cables allow operators onshore to monitor and control the increasingly complex production process on the offshore platform, thereby reducing the number of people that need to be offshore. Remote control also greatly reduces the time lost if a platform needs to be evacuated due to potential extreme weather, such as hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. This data communication link has been largely established using microwave systems, but the new deepwater production is moving farther offshore and beyond microwave range. The microwave antennae also are very susceptible to damage during hurricanes.

Cables connecting deepwater platforms require all the precise survey information that would be needed for any installation, with the added complication of working around other seabed installations such as pipelines. These surveys also need to get as close as possible to the platform where the cable will land, making it very impractical to use deep-towed sonars for mapping.

Figure 4 shows an AUV survey around and under the location of a deepwater floating platform (in this case in about 1,000 meters water depth) with anchors set in the outer portion of the circular survey, over three kilometers from the center of the platform. The AUV can run precise patterns, including the concentric circles shown. When necessary, an AUV can even run under the anchor cables, of course requiring precise calculation of the catenaries of the cables.

Looking to the near-term future, new optical and laser sensors as well as ultra-high resolution multibeam sonars are now being developed for installation on AUVs. Guidance

and navigation systems are also being developed that allow an AUV to fly at very low altitude and follow a cable on the seafloor. This will provide a very cost effective alternative to using ROVs for inspection of installed cables.

Summary

Full function AUVs provide ultra-high resolution swath bathymetry, side-scan imagery, and subbottom profiles – typically down to 3,000 meters water depth. These systems are more expensive to operate than conventional surface or deep-towed sonars, so will likely be used only when the very high resolution data are required. These challenging applications include electrical power cables in very deep water and high energy environments where ocean energy electrical generators will be installed. AUV data will also be essential for optimal installation of seafloor scientific observatories in geologically complex areas. In addition to the data quality, AUVs can run complex survey patterns close in to oil and gas production platforms. Finally, the smaller air-transportable AUVs can be cost-effective for small projects in remote regions where they can be mobilized onto local vessels, including cable ships.

Don is responsible for Business Development at Fugro Seafloor Surveys (FSSI) in Seattle. Until retiring from the position in mid-2007, he was the President of the company which he founded in Honolulu in 1985 after 13 years as a Professor of Marine Geology and Geophysics at the University of Hawaii. As

a professor and in the early years of FSSI he devoted much of his time to the development of sonar mapping systems. The company began international surveys for submarine cables with HAW-4 and TPC-3 in 1987, and has concentrated on working in this industry ever since. More recently he has been involved with the development of the Echo Mapper AUV mentioned in this paper.

Figure 4: AUV survey of an oil production platform site and the area covered by its anchor system in about 1,000 meters water depth.

In many cases, AUV surveys will be ideal for electric power cables that are installed in deeper water.

35

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36

Knowing the whereabouts of a commercial ship in real time has always been an elusive goal of the maritime industry until recently. In 2004, the quest became a whole lot easier with the introduction of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) system internationally. Originally designed as a pure collision avoidance tool, AIS has quickly become a key tool in the location of commercial ships around the world.

It works by having an AIS transponder fitted to the vessel which is connected to the ships GPS unit. Every 2 to 10 seconds the transponder broadcasts out a message over VHF with a variety of information including latitude and longitude, course, heading and speed and then every 6 minutes the transponder sends out the static data for the vessel such as the name, IMO number (the unique ID for the vessel issued by Lloyd’s Register Fairplay on behalf of the IMO) and the main dimensions of the vessel.

This is invaluable information on a local basis for the vessels that encounter each other in the fog. However the real power of this data comes when you can leverage the data against other sources of data, such as the location of assets like oil rigs, windfarms or of particular interest to this publication, subsea cables.

Lloyd’s Register Fairplay through AISLive has been working with cable operators to protect their cables for the last couple of years with a good degree of success.

In a typical day….

On an hourly basis we take a snapshot of all global activity. This works out to be 10 million ship movements per month and as the network grows on a monthly basis so does the amount of ship movements that we store. We have this information going back for up to 4 years.

We have around 500 stations around the world

which pick up data from up to 2,500 ports in more than 100 countries. These stations pick up data from up to 27,000 commercial ships per day.

There are a wide variety of uses for the AIS data that we receive. These range from ship-owners tracking their own fleets to coast guards monitoring traffic on their coasts and a myriad of other uses in between.

Taking the AIS technology a step further, it is now possible to remotely monitor any location in the world where sub sea cables come to land (for example) by using a simple AIS receiver set up. This consists of a dual channel AIS receiver, an antenna which ideally is tuned for the 2 AIS frequencies, a small TCP/IP converter which we pre-programme with a unique ID and the various cables required to connect over the internet to our servers. All that is required on a local basis is a suitable vantage point for the antenna and an ADSL connection and within seconds of switching on, the area could be monitored. The same technology and standards apply whether the station is in Djibouti or Dublin.

There are a variety of ways to use the AIS data and one company we have worked with a lot over the last 4 years is ICAN Marine who are a Canadian company that specialize in navigation software. They typically install whole country AIS networks and provide consultancy for coastguards for example. To illustrate how we work together for the sub sea cable community, we have a brief overview of how we can tackle a very common problem in a cost effective way.

The problem

An undersea cable has been cut. The cable’s owners are trying to piece together the probable cause of the cut. The owners did not have access to real-time vessel position data, and now do not have ready access to historical vessel position data in the area of the cut cable.

Real-time Cableship Tracking is Alive!

by Ron Crean

37

A Solution

AISLive (www.aislive.com) and ICAN (www.icanmarine.com) have teamed together to provide a turnkey vessel monitoring and data logging solution. This solution, based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) technology, provides cable companies with real-time vessel traffic monitoring capabilities of areas near undersea cables. It also logs all the vessel data for future query, display and playback. With this solution is place, a cable company can define geographic areas near the undersea cables and set conditional alarms triggered when vessels enter these areas. As an example, the normal vessel speed through a particular undersea cable area may be over 15 knots. The cable company may not be concerned about vessels operating at greater than 10 knots, but may want to be notified when a vessel is making less than 5 knots. These notifications can be in the form of an audible alarm, text based alarms transmitted via e-mail or SMS, or logged in text or XML files.

Example of Undersea Cable Area Zone

In the event of a cut cable, and with this solution in place, the cable company has the capability to replay the logged data and examine vessel traffic going back weeks and months if required.

Data Query/Playback Interface

The vessel data can then be made available via ICAN Horizon with Data Logging & Playback (DLP) application over the internet. Horizon is a shore-based vessel monitoring and management solution that displays AIS targets on a nautical chart. It provides users with tools to create alarmed zones around undersea cables. The DLP module stores all vessel data coming into the system for future query, playback and display.

Using this type of application enables cable owners to tightly monitor all maritime traffic that passes over their cables. This ultimately saves time and money almost as soon as the solution

is deployed.

The technology has been around for over 4 years now. The next big developments in the evolution

of AIS technology are space based AIS and long range AIS receivers. Both of these technologies have launched in the middle of 2008 and both will be beneficial to the sub sea cable operator as they

will extend the distance that vessels may be tracked. This becomes more useful, for example when a cable laying vessel needs to be located quickly.

As you can see, we have merely scratched the surface of what is possible using this technology. The options for saving multi million dollar cables from peril with simple, low cost technology have never been more obtainable. Of all of the solutions available, AIS must surely rank as one of the simplest and quickest solutions of all.

Ron Crean has been working (mainly) in the maritime industry for 14 years in a variety of roles including container marketing management, tanker chartering, consulting and since 2000 on internet related ventures. For the last 4 years he has managed the AISLive.com business for Lloyd’s Register Fairplay from a startup position to its current position with

customers in over 100 countries. He holds a BSc.(Hons) in Maritime Business and Marine Law from the University of Plymouth and an MBA from Cass Business School, London. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. He is married with 2 young sons.

38

AISLIVETHE FIRST GLOBAL AIS NETWORK

www.aislive.com

A Lloyd’s Register - Fairplay Ltd company

For further information contact: Lloyd’s Register - Fairplay Ltd,Lombard House, 3 Princess Way, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1UP, United KingdomTel: +44 1737 379700 Fax: +44 1737 379001 Email: sales@aislive.com Web: www.lrfairplay.com

AISLive 2.0 The award winning service has built, what is to our knowledge, the largest global AIS network with coverage in 100+ countries and over 2,500 ports and terminals. It also has over 200,000 visitors every month.

AISLive 2.0 includes

State of the art tile based chart application

Global folio of charts

16 levels of zoom.

Vessels tracked right down to the berth

Email alerts on arrival in any of our global ‘trigger zones’.

Connect or SubscribeConnect your port to AISLive.comAISLive has the technology and equipment to connect your port to the AISLive network with an ‘Installation Kit’. This is available for a one off cost and contains everything needed to connect your port to our network.

Subscribe to AISLive.com If we already have coverage in your port then you also have the option of paying an annual fee to subscribe. The rate for subscription is £760 / $1480 / €1025 for a single user and £1330 / $2595 / €1795 per year for a 5 user licence.

39

The possession and control of information offers (at various levels) considerable strategic advantages. This ranges from information that is necessary for survival, and which facilitates the attainment of basic needs and freedoms;1 to more complex combinations of information that can become independent sources of productivity and power (van Dijk 2005).

Information has also been described as a source of competitiveness - with respect to the business world the availability of information is said to change the structure of industries and thereby alter the rules of competition. Information bestows, on those that have access to it, new ways of outperforming their rivals; and it can also

create new business opportunities, even within existing business operations (Porter and Millar 1985). Could the ‘competitive advantages’ that emanate from having access and the capacity to use information be applicable to non-business entities of varying geographic scope – and especially to nation states?

Popular opinion, amongst policy and decision-makers, asserts that affordable and accessible information can help nations to improve their global standing by lowering the cost of economic and social activities. It can also enhance their ability to differentiate themselves in the global marketplace by increasing the scope and range of activities. As a result,

By Dr. Abiodun Jagun

The Case for “Open Access” Communications Infrastructure in Africa:

The SAT-3/WASC cable

many developing countries have invested extensively in infrastructure and advanced technologies.3 If indeed nations are like “…big corporation(s) competing in the global marketplace” (Clinton cited in Krugman 1994:29), it comes as no surprise that in an information-driven world the extent to which a country is ‘networked’ or ‘connected’ to the rest of the world is defined as critical to its development.

Using comparative levels of communication infrastructure as indicators of levels of “connectedness” (see Table 1 and Figure 1), the scale of the infrastructural gap in sub-Saharan Africa and implications for the competitiveness of this region of the world are easily identified.

40

Table 1 compares the amount of bandwidth (measured in megabits per second – Mb/s) that is available to people living in different regions of the world. It shows that (in 2004) approximately 88% of the total bandwidth available worldwide was located in developed regions of the world. More specific to sub-Saharan Africa, using the indicator ‘bits per inhabitants’, Table 1 also shows that a person living in Europe or North America had access to approximately 570 more bits of bandwidth than someone living in Africa. Poor bandwidth availability is again illustrated in Figure 1 – a map which summarises the amount of international bandwidth available per country adjusted by population. The map shows that the populations of most African countries have access to the least amount of bandwidth worldwide; they are the least ‘connected’ globally.

Low bandwidth is associated with poor telecoms infrastructure. In this sense the poor bandwidth available in sub-Saharan Africa can be partially explained by how

Infor-mation has also been de-scribed as a source of competi-tiveness

under-serviced the region is in terms of international submarine cable infrastructure.

The dearth of international cable infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa is further compounded by expensive international satellite coverage and inadequate terrestrial networks between countries in the region, to the extent that communication between African countries is often transited via Europe and/or North America. The result is a situation of prohibitively expensive connectedness.

Strategies for increasing connectivity between countries in sub-Saharan Africa and between the sub-continent and the rest of the world must include the deployment of new communications infrastructure and, as importantly, the maximisation of existing infrastructure.

The focus on maximisation is the result of criticism of how existing infrastructure is being utilised. In particular, questions are being asked about the way infrastructure

41

is traditionally built, owned and operated. In sub-Saharan Africa the criticism can be levied at one project: the single grey line in Figure 2, shown originating in Europe (Portugal), and running along the west coast of Africa down to southern Africa and across – via Mauritius (and Reunion) – to the Far East. It represents a pair of optical fibre submarine communication cables known as South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable/South Africa Far East (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE).

This briefing focuses solely on the ‘Africa section’ of the submarine cable - South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable (SAT-3/WASC). It provides an introduction to the cable, including background information on its development and operation. It also outlines some of the key issues regarding the utilisation of SAT-3 that have been documented in various publications and the mass media.

These issues are then discussed using data from a recently concluded research project by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) that looked at the impact of the cable in four countries: Angola, Cameroon, Ghana, and Senegal. The research, initiated in November 2006, documented and analysed the way SAT-3/WASC has impacted on the telecom markets of these countries, and offers lessons that can be learnt from the implementation and management of SAT-3/WASC. The briefing concludes with recommendations (based on the findings of the research project) for maximising the impact of SAT-3/WASC on Africa’s connectivity and global competitiveness.

SAT-3/WASC is a 14,350km undersea fibre-optic cable running along the western coast of Africa to the southern part of the continent. When combined with the SAFE submarine cable, it forms part of a larger single network connecting Europe to Asia via western and southern Africa. The SAT3/WASC portion has a design capacity of 120Gb/s (or approximately six-million simultaneous telephone calls) and the SAFE portion a design capacity of 130Gb/s.

SAT3/WASC starts at Sesimbra, Portugal, passes through nine African countries, and ends at Melkbosstrand, South Africa. The Africa section of SAT3/WASC (see Figure 3) has the following landing points:

SAT-3/WASC was commissioned in 1999 and entered commercial service in April 2002. Reported11 amounts invested in SAT3/WASC/SAFE differ, and have been stated to be as high as US$650-million (Jensen 2006; Goldstein 2004). However, a shareholders’ agreement signed on 17 June 199912 cites the cost of the cable as US$595-million.

The consortium that owns the submarine cable comprises a mix of African, American, Asian, and European (predominantly telecommunication) companies; in total 36

investors from 35 countries (NITEL 2007; Meyer 2004). How much each company invested and the complete list of who these investors are is hard to ascertain. Analysis of the 1999 shareholders’ agreement reveals that the largest investors in the cable are: TCI, a subsidiary of AT&T (12.42%), France Telecom (12.08%),13 Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) (8.93%), and Nitel (8.39%). However other sources show different figures. Individual participants in the consortium, through their investment, own capacity on the cable (calculated in Minimum Investment Unit kilometers (MIU km)).14 Capacity allocations can therefore be used as a proxy of the level of investment that was made. Table 3 presents allocation figures for some investors.

In June 2003 the capacity of SAT-3/WASC was upgraded to 40Gb/s - a third of its maximum design capacity of 120Gb/s. Yet actual usage of the cable

Questions are be-ing asked about the way in-frastruc-ture is tradition-ally built, owned and operated.

42

at this time was estimated to constitute less than 3% of its design capacity (Goldstein 2004). While unverified reports attribute savings of US$400-million per annum to the SAT-3/WASC cable,15 such utilization figures question the efficacy of the investment that went into constructing the cable – for example South Africa and Nigeria are reported to have contributed nearly US$85-million and US$50-million respectively (Goldstein 2004). Demand for capacity is, however, very much on the increase, and the recent upgrade of the cable to 120Gb/s in 2007, which most African members of the consortium participated in, is beginning to raise concerns about the likelihood of capacity on the cable running out. The question is therefore not one of whether demand for capacity exists, but rather, at what cost?

Abi Jagun earned her Ph.D. from the University of Strathclyde in 2006 with a thesis on the subject of “Telecommunications and the Structure of Economic Organisations”. She also has an MBA from the University of Cardiff and an MSc in Operational Research from the

University of Strathclyde. Prior to joining the Management Science department, she worked with the Association for Progressive communications (APC) as ICT Policy Research Officer for the African region and also as a Lecturer in Information Systems and Development, with the Institute for Development Policy Management at the University of Manchester. Abi has also worked in the Nigerian office of the international consultancy Accenture. Her research interest is in the impact of technology on society - specifically the ways in which mobile communication devices impact on socio-economic development.

Low band-width is associ-ated with poor tele-coms in-frastruc-ture

43

Author Article Issue DateAndres, Dr. Jose and Nedbal, Dr. M., and Lipp, David

New Tools For Cable Route Planning Issue 32 May-07

Andres, Jose Improved methods of cable route planning Issue 5 Oct-02

Annoque, Christian The State of the Industry - Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India Issue 2 Jan-02

Arbi, Zatri Telecom: Not To Be Taken For Granted Issue 18 Jan-05

Arnos, Guy & Doig, Russ Bandwidth in the Oil Patch Issue 22 Sep-05

Arnos, Guy W. Design Challenges For Undersea Systems Serving Offshore Production Platforms Issue 38 30-May

Arnos, Guy; Nielsen, Wayne; Wells, Steve

Nobody Said It Was Easy Issue 16 Sep-04

Ash, Stewart From Elektron to ‘E’ Commerce – Part I Issue 14 May-04

Ash, Stewart From Elektron to ‘E’ Commerce – Part II Issue 15 Jul-04

Ash, Stewart From Elektron to ‘E’ Commerce – Part III Issue 17 Nov-04

Ash, Stewart From Elektron to ‘E’ Commerce – Part IV Issue 19 Mar-05

Ash, Stewart From Elektron to ‘E’ Commerce – Part V Issue 20 May-05

Ash, Stewart History of the Industry Issue 22 Sep-05

Ash, Stewart Optical Systems For Offshore Platforms Issue 32 May-07

Ash, Stewart Where does the UJ Consortium go from here? Issue 25 Mar-06

Bailey, Toby Surviving the Telecoms Rollercoaster Issue 4 Jul-02

Ball, Geoff Deployment of Cabled, Incline Sensors, 3.5 tons in weight Issue 23 Nov-05

Bannon, Robert Homeland Security Technology Workshop Issue 17 Nov-04

Bannon, Robert & Burnett, Doug Underwater Infrastructure Protection – Risk Mitigation and Proactive Prosecution Issue 23 Nov-05

Bannon, Robert & Burnett, Douglas

Underwater Infrastructure Protection, Risk, Mitigation, and Pro-Active - Prosecution: Part II

Issue 24 Jan-06

Bannon, Robert & Burnett, Douglas

Underwater Infrastructure Protection, Risk, Mitigation, and Pro-Active Prosecution: Part III

Issue 25 Mar-06

Barattino, William Dr. & Harrington, William

Broadband Communications for Maritime Users Issue 6 Jan-03

44

Author Article Issue DateBaribeau, Yves & Poirier, Nancy Viable. Flexible. Reliable - ITG’s branching unit Issue 4 Jul-02

Barnett, Pamela You and PTC Issue 4 Jul-02

Barney, Bill Welcome to the Digital Future – Again Issue 29 Nov-06

Bax, Andy Global Marine Technology Update Issue 25 Mar-06

Bax, Andy The Rise of Regional Submarine Networks Issue 20 May-05

BenBenek, Jules Autonomous Submarines - Alternatives for ROV and AUV operations Issue 9 Jul-03

Bishop, Jim Back to the Future in Cable Jointing Issue 14 May-04

Bishop, Jim Is Submarine Cable WEEE? Issue 20 May-05

Bishop, Jim & Walker, John The Security Issues of Multiple Cable Landings Issue 25 Mar-06

Bland, Sir Christopher Executive Forum Issue 17 Nov-04

Boe, Rolf Off-Shore Communications Issue 20 May-05

Borkey, Todd Seamless Integration of Undersea and Terrestrial Networks Issue 7 Mar-03

Borries, Puja Of Strategic Importance to Business - Pacific Telecommunications Conference Issue 1 Oct-01

Borries, Puja President of China Telecom at PTC 2003 Issue 6 Jan-03

Brask, Debra Improving Time-To-Market and Reducing Risk Before and During Project Implementation

Issue 26 May-06

Budde, Paul Asia- Developments in Submarine Cable Networks Issue 24 Jan-06

Budde, Paul International Infrastructure Developments in Asia Issue 6 Jan-03

Budde, Paul Signs Of Resurgent Asia-Pacific Submarine Cable Market Issue 30 Jan-07

Burnett, Doug & Bannon, Robert Underwater Infrastructure Protection – Risk Mitigation and Proactive Prosecution Issue 23 Nov-05

Burnett, Douglas Cable Owners Challenge New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Issue 3 Apr-02

Burnett, Douglas New Developments on Out of Service Submarine Cables Issue 19 Mar-05

Burnett, Douglas The Importance of the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention to the Cable Industry Issue 26 May-06

Burnett, Douglas & Bannon, Robert

Underwater Infrastructure Protection, Risk, Mitigation, and Pro-Active - Prosecution: Part II

Issue 24 Jan-06

Burnett, Douglas & Bannon, Robert

Underwater Infrastructure Protection, Risk, Mitigation, and Pro-Active Prosecution: Part III

Issue 25 Mar-06

Butler, Chris Pioneer with Experience Issue 4 Jul-02

Byous, Jim Protection against financial aggression - System maintenance in today’s market Issue 5 Oct-02

Byous, Jim Sea Change - Gulf Fiber System Issue 10 Sep-03

45

Author Article Issue DateCarragher, Daniel A Troubled Chapter - Chapter 11 leaves its mark Issue 9 Jul-03

Carter, Bill So, where do we go from here? Issue 5 Oct-02

Carver, Roger Maritime Security Issue 17 Nov-04

Carver, Roger Maritime Security - The Need for Awareness and Compliance Issue 10 Sep-03

Case, James Submarine Telecommunication Desktop Studies – A Route Less Taken Issue 30 Jan-07

Case, Jim Desktop Studies – Foundations for Cable System Data Issue 21 Jul-05

Case, Jim Submarine Telecommunication Desktop Studies – A Route Less Taken Issue 38 30-May

Chaires, Daryl Unrepeatered Submarine Links Benefit From All-Raman Technology Issue 25 Mar-06

Chba, Michel; Fevrier, Herve Reaping the Benefits - all-Raman Transmission Technology Issue 14 May-04

Chrisner, Ray Branching Units Get Smart Issue 27 Jul-06

Colonna, Jean Paul & Peuch, Alain

Continuous Burial Assessment of Cables: A State-of-Practice Issue 6 Jan-03

Cooper, Graham Marine Asset Management Issue 12 Jan-04

Cooper, Graham Vessel Automation Identification Systems (AIS) for Oilfield Operations Issue 16 Sep-04

Coughlan, David Executive Forum Issue 13 Mar-04

Crawford, Brian Executive Forum Issue 20 May-05

Creese, Catherine The U.S. Naval Seafloor Cable Protection Office “Call Before You Dig!” Issue 29 Nov-06

Cuccio, Frank Failure Was Never An Option – Marine Recovery Operations Issue 14 May-04

Czajkowski , Igor Upgrades: Theory and Practice Issue 27 Jul-06

Davidson, Mark BP to link Gulf platforms with fiber-optic cable Issue 28 Sep-06

Davis, Tom Offshore Oil and Energy Systems Issue 16 Sep-04

Davis, Tom and Mazzarese, David

Avoiding The “Bends” By Specifying The Correct Fiber Issue 32 May-07

Davis, Tom and Mazzarese, David Avoiding the “Bends” by Specifying the Correct Fiber Issue 38 30-May

de Hoop Scheffer, Jaap Executive Forum: A view of the Industry Issue 23 Nov-05

Dean, Barbara Dr.; Gardner, Jeff Dr.

Reliability by design - In practice and in the field Issue 11 Nov-03

Demeroutis, Basil; Fletcher, Ian; Wells, Steven

Alchemy Restored Issue 13 Mar-04

46

Author Article Issue DateDemeroutis, Basil; Fletcher, Ian; Wells, Steven

Alchemy Revisited Issue 12 Jan-04

Demeroutis, Basil; Wells, Steve; Fletcher, Ian

Alchemy – Reversed then Restored Issue 19 Mar-05

Devos, Jean Letter to a friend Issue 2 Jan-02

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 4 Jul-02

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 5 Oct-02

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 6 Jan-03

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 7 Mar-03

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 8 May-03

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 9 Jul-03

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 15 Jul-04

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 16 Sep-04

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 17 Nov-04

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 18 Jan-05

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 19 Mar-05

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 20 May-05

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 21 Jul-05

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 22 Sep-05

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 23 Nov-05

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 24 Jan-06

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 25 Mar-06

Devos, Jean Letter to a Friend Issue 26 May-06

Devos, Jean Letter to a friend Issue 27 Jul-06

Devos, Jean Letter to a friend Issue 28 Sep-06

Devos, Jean Letter to a friend Issue 29 Nov-06

Devos, Jean Letter to a friend Issue 30 Jan-07

Devos, Jean Letter to a friend Issue 31 Mar-07

Devos, Jean Letter to a friend Issue 32 May-07

47

Author Article Issue DateDevos, Jean & Thornton, Geoffrey

The State of the Industry - Europe, the Middle East and Africa Issue 1 Oct-01

Doig, Russ Technology Transforms the Oil Patch Issue 28 Sep-06

Doig, Russ & Arnos, Guy Bandwidth in the Oil Patch Issue 22 Sep-05

Douglas, Ian GMSL Case Study: Aniva Bay Issue 24 Jan-06

Drabble, John Submarine Cable Decommissioning: Assessing the Environmental Risks Issue 25 Mar-06

Duzevich, Gordon Global Asia Pacific Completes a Challenging Project Issue 22 Sep-05

Eastaugh, Paulo TSS Moves Ahead Issue 22 Sep-05

Edwards, Dr. Merrion and Rukosueva, Rita

Ultra-Low-Loss Fibers Enable Advanced Performance in Submarine Applications Issue 27 Jul-06

Edwards, Katherine Countdown to Apollo Launch The world’s most advanced cable system Issue 2 Jan-02

Eldridge, Murray So, Where Do We Go From Here? Issue 3 Apr-02

Eldridge, Murray What Price Market Forces? Issue 24 Jan-06

Ellis, Chris Hi-Tech Cables, Hi-Tech Project Management Issue 3 Apr-02

Evans, Andrew Unlocking the Broadband Opportunity — Middle East, India and Asia lead the way in industry recovery

Issue 13 Mar-04

Evans, Graham AUVs for cable route surveys Issue 4 Jul-02

Faint, Dick In space no one can hear you scream . . . Trading in Cyberspace Issue 5 Oct-02

Faint, Richard Risk Management: Who is Playing at What? Issue 7 Mar-03

Faint, Richard What Kind Of War Are We Looking For? Issue 29 Nov-06

Fevrier, Herve and Chba, Michel Reaping the Benefits - all-Raman Transmission Technology Issue 14 May-04

Fletcher, Ian & Wells, Steven When is a Bubble not a Bubble? Issue 7 Mar-03

Fletcher, Ian and Wells, Steven and Demeroutis, Basil

Alchemy Restored Issue 13 Mar-04

Fletcher, Ian and Wells, Steven and Demeroutis, Basil

Alchemy Revisited Issue 12 Jan-04

Fletcher, Ian; Demeroutis, Basil; Wells, Steve

Alchemy – Reversed then Restored Issue 19 Mar-05

Ford, Peter Digital India – The Underwater Connection Issue 21 Jul-05

Foreman, Charles Interference in the ISM Band: Mitigation Strategies Issue 28 Sep-06

Frater, Simon The Future for Cable Repair and Maintenance Issue 24 Jan-06

48

Author Article Issue DateFrisch, Tony Technology in Long-span Submarine Systems Issue 2 Jan-02

Fullenbaum, Marc Secrets and Lies in Regional Systems Issue 18 Jan-05

Gaitch, Ian Electricity Market Spotlight Issue 29 Nov-06

Gardner, Jeff Dr. and Dean, Barbara Dr.

Reliability by design - In practice and in the field Issue 11 Nov-03

Gibbs, Gary From the Gulf of Mexico to Washington DC and Back Issue 28 Sep-06

Golding, John Oil & Gas Market Opportunities Issue 28 Sep-06

Golding, John Saving the Planet Means Being Green At Sea As Well: One Company’s Proactive Efforts in Sustainability

Issue 31 Mar-07

Grant, Paul GIS – The Power of Spatial Management Issue 15 Jul-04

Greenham, Derek A Chinese Tale: How SBSS Expanded Business from a Cable Installer to an Offshore Service Supplier

Issue 22 Sep-05

Griffith, Scott It’s not all a bed of roses Issue 11 Nov-03

Harrington, William & Barattino, William Dr.

Broadband Communications for Maritime Users Issue 6 Jan-03

Hibbard, John Asia Pacific Vantage Issue 23 Nov-05

Hibbard, John Executive Forum Issue 18 Jan-05

Hibbard, John Future Price Trends Issue 4 Jul-02

Hoffman, Virginia Project Logistics for Regional System Installations Issue 26 May-06

Hoffman, Virginia The Forgotten Mile Issue 20 May-05

Hollis, Rogan Regional Reality Issue 20 May-05

Hollis, Rogan Why Are Welshmen Wearing Kilts? A Personal Perspective on Atlantic Evolution Issue 29 Nov-06

Hollis, Rogan You get further with a Carrot and a Big Stick Issue 12 Jan-04

Hong, Iris Chinese Telecom Operators 2007 Performance Review Issue 38 30-May

Horne, John Suboptic 2007: “The Event And Beyond” Issue 32 May-07

Horne, John SubOptic goes from strength to strength Issue 11 Nov-03

Horne, John and Robinson, Alan So How Was SubOptic 2004 for you? Issue 14 May-04

Hotchkiss, Adam and Romagnino, Richard

Convergence of Terrestrial and Undersea Networks Issue 13 Mar-04

Hua, Vivian S.B. Submarine Systems – An Overview Issue 18 Jan-05

Hynes, Mike Upgrades - The Viable Alternative? Issue 13 Mar-04

49

Author Article Issue DateJanaitis, Tim New Phoenix Offices Issue 22 Sep-05

Jean Devos Letter to a Friend Issue 8 May-03

Jeffery, Karl Oil and Gas Fibre Optics Issue 28 Sep-06

Jones, Michael Breaking with Convention - A Different Way of Laying Submarine Cables Issue 9 Jul-03

Kahn, Natasha Bridging the Gap Issue 16 Sep-04

Kasdan, John Déjà-vu Issue 6 Jan-03

Kassay, Travis; Nikolopoulis, Nikos

Fiber Optic Cables vs. Fixed Satellite Services Issue 18 Jan-05

Kitamura, Ted The State of the Industry - Asia Issue 1 Oct-01

Krebs, Georges A View of the Submarine Systems Supply Industry Issue 26 May-06

Krebs, Georges Executive Forum Issue 14 May-04

Kwan, Wilfred The Day The Internet Stood Still Issue 30 Jan-07

Lambert, Neil Key Driver - The Delivery of Broadband Remains the key driver in the Asia Pacific Region

Issue 8 May-03

Larsen, Vegard Briggar High Fibre Diet Issue 16 Sep-04

LeBoutillier, Anna Telecom Conference 101 Issue 24 Jan-06

Lécroart, Antoine Emerging Markets for Submarine Cables Issue 14 May-04

Lentz, Steve NEPTUNE Canada – Deploying New Cabled Observatory Technologies in the Deep Ocean

Issue 23 Nov-05

Lentz, Steve NEPTUNE Canada – Deploying New Cabled Observatory Technologies in the Deep Ocean

Issue 29 Nov-06

Lichtman, Eyal and Schneider, Michael

Repeaterless DWDM – A 317km Caribbean Festoon Segment Upgrade Issue 27 Jul-06

Lipman, Andrew Is an IRU a Safe Bet for Submarine Capacity? Issue 19 Mar-05

Lipman, Andrew and Pin , Ulises Financing a New Private Submarine Cable Network Issue 31 Mar-07

Lipman, Andrew and Pin , Ulises How Are Submarine Cable Networks Of The Future Likely To Be Financed? Issue 27 Jul-06

Lipman, Andrew and Tanner, Troy

Cables Beware FCC Regulations can Bite Issue 10 Sep-03

Lipp, David and Andres, Dr. Jose and Nedbal, Dr. M.

New Tools For Cable Route Planning Issue 32 May-07

Manock, John Back to the Future Issue 20 May-05

50

Author Article Issue DateManock, John Broadband Explodes Across the North Atlantic Issue 30 Jan-07

Manock, John Industry Update Issue 32 May-07

Manock, John Recovery Year behind Us with a Solid Book of Business Ahead Issue 25 Mar-06

Manock, John Submarine Cables and Other Developments in West Africa Issue 22 Sep-05

Manock, John The State of the Industry - The Americas Issue 2 Jan-02

Manock, John The Place of Regional Submarine Cable Systems in the Current Boom Issue 38 30-May

Marra, William C Intelligence for the Coastline Protection Issue 17 Nov-04

Marra, William Dr. Walking a Mile in Our Customers’ Shoes - Being a System Supplier with Owner and Operator Experience

Issue 8 May-03

Matsudaira, Tsunekazu The Winds of Change Issue 4 Jul-02

Mauldin, Alan Fueling Subsea Bandwidth Demand: Demand Drivers and Internet Traffic Growth Issue 28 Sep-06

Mazer, Robert From Circuits to Terabits Issue 31 Mar-07

Mazzarese, David and Davis, Tom

Avoiding The “Bends” By Specifying The Correct Fiber Issue 32 May-07

McMullen, Scott Oregon Fishermen Offer Gear Calculator Issue 7 Mar-03

Millar, David & Rein, Bruce Cableawareness.com - An internet based awareness strategy Issue 5 Oct-02

Miller, George Back to Basics Issue 4 Jul-02

Miller, George & Sheedy, Sally A Bad Storm, Not a Perfect Storm - The Submarine Market in Context Issue 3 Apr-02

Milstead, Matthew Executive Forum Issue 12 Jan-04

Munier, Rob Back Seat Driver Issue 23 Nov-05

Munier, Rob Mind the Gap Issue 3 Apr-02

Murfett, Marianne; Winter, Charlotte

What To Do When Things Go Wrong Issue 17 Nov-04

Nedbal, Dr. M., and Lipp, David and Andres, Dr. Jose

New Tools For Cable Route Planning Issue 32 May-07

Nickelson, Richard A unique event - The PTC 2004: New Times - New Strategies Issue 11 Nov-03

Nielsen, Wayne; Wells, Steve; Arnos, Guy

Nobody Said It Was Easy Issue 16 Sep-04

Nikolopoulis, Nikos; Kassay, Travis

Fiber Optic Cables vs. Fixed Satellite Services Issue 18 Jan-05

Nordgard, Olav Harald Executive Forum Issue 16 Sep-04

51

Author Article Issue DateOak, Siew Ying Cable Protector – A Specialized Deep Seabed Burial Barge Issue 18 Jan-05

Peuch, Alain & Colonna, Jean Paul

Continuous Burial Assessment of Cables: A State-of-Practice Issue 6 Jan-03

Pin , Ulises and Lipman, Andrew Financing a New Private Submarine Cable Network Issue 31 Mar-07

Pin , Ulises and Lipman, Andrew How Are Submarine Cable Networks Of The Future Likely To Be Financed? Issue 27 Jul-06

Pockett, John Partnering For Success Issue 15 Jul-04

Poirier, Nancy & Baribeau, Yves Viable. Flexible. Reliable - ITG’s branching unit Issue 4 Jul-02

Polishuk, Paul The State of the Industry - The Americas Issue 1 Oct-01

Polishuk, Paul Unrepeatered Submarine Cable Technology and Its Impact on the Oil and Gas Industry Issue 28 Sep-06

Pugh, Tim Cutting the Gordian Knot - A Geoscience View of the Cable Industry Issue 3 Apr-02

Ramsden, Rex Bandwidth The State of the Market Issue 2 Jan-02

Ranahan, Doug Convergence Issue 5 Oct-02

Rawle, Julian Africans Are Doing It For Themselves (With A Little Help From Their Friends) Issue 32 May-07

Rawle, Julian Asian Pacific Overview Issue 18 Jan-05

Rawle, Julian Atlantic Tide Turning? Issue 26 May-06

Rawle, Julian New life discovered in the Caribbean Issue 11 Nov-03

Rawle, Julian The Importance of Being Integrated Issue 21 Jul-05

Rein, Bruce & Millar, David Cableawareness.com - An internet based awareness strategy Issue 5 Oct-02

Richardson, Alfred & Runfola, Jack

Security and Submarine Telecommunications Cable Issue 24 Jan-06

Riga, Andy Telecom experts display market savvy - Entrepreneurs founded fibre-optic company, sold to a US giant and recently bought it back

Issue 9 Jul-03

Robinson, Alan A Responsible Future Issue 26 May-06

Robinson, Alan Addressing the Future of the Submarine Cable Industry Issue 12 Jan-04

Robinson, Alan Recovery or Rationalisation: SubOptic - a tonic for the Hangover! Issue 8 May-03

Robinson, Alan SubOptic 2004 Issue 13 Mar-04

Robinson, Alan SubOptic 2007 Issue 26 May-06

Robinson, Alan and Horne, John So How Was SubOptic 2004 for you? Issue 14 May-04

Romagnino, Richard and Hotchkiss, Adam

Convergence of Terrestrial and Undersea Networks Issue 13 Mar-04

52

Author Article Issue DateRudde, Paul Major Submarine Cable Projects in Asia - The infrastructure of Asian cable systems Issue 8 May-03

Ruddy, Michael Searching for a light in the fog - A future for the submarine cable industry? Issue 2 Jan-02

Ruderman, Kurt O&G Wind Farm Energy Market Issue 22 Sep-05

Ruderman, Kurt Scientific Submarine Cable Projects Issue 23 Nov-05

Ruhan, Gabriel Cable Technology Snapshot Issue 27 Jul-06

Ruhan, Gabriel Global Marine helps install landmark seismic activity monitoring ‘Ocean Bottom Unit’ Issue 30 Jan-07

Rukosueva, Rita and Edwards, Dr. Merrion

Ultra-Low-Loss Fibers Enable Advanced Performance in Submarine Applications Issue 27 Jul-06

Runfola, Jack A Simple View Issue 9 Jul-03

Runfola, Jack & Richardson, Alfred

Security and Submarine Telecommunications Cable Issue 24 Jan-06

Russell, Robin Strength In Diversity Issue 30 Jan-07

Russell, Robin How Much is Enough? Issue 38 30-May

Schneider, Michael and Lichtman, Eyal

Repeaterless DWDM – A 317km Caribbean Festoon Segment Upgrade Issue 27 Jul-06

Schwartz, Larry Executive Forum Issue 19 Mar-05

Seip, Jon Fibre Optics in Offshore Communications Issue 2 Jan-02

Shamburek, Steven Nets and the Internet Issue 12 Jan-04

Shaw, Andy Rising Anew From the Ashes Issue 25 Mar-06

Shaw, Nigel General Offshore Ltd Back and working hard Issue 29 Nov-06

Sheedy, Sally & Miller, George A Bad Storm, Not a Perfect Storm - The Submarine Market in Context Issue 3 Apr-02

Soja, Tom Answer from a Friend Issue 3 Apr-02

Soja, Tom Back to the Future — The rise of the regional systems market Issue 13 Mar-04

Soja, Tom Internal Telecom Bandwidth - Drivers, opportunities and challenges Issue 1 Oct-01

Soja, Tom Negotiating the Market’s Half Pipe - Part 2 Issue 10 Sep-03

Soja, Tom Negotiating the Market’s Half Pipe - The market “adventure” over the last two years Issue 8 May-03

Spalding, Marsha Survival of the Leanest Issue 6 Jan-03

Stronge, Tim Submarine bandwidth Issue 4 Jul-02

Stroud, Doug Deepwater Burial Record - Trencher Achieves Record in SE Asia Issue 3 Apr-02

Stroud, Doug Record Successes in Deepwater Cable Issue 20 May-05

53

Author Article Issue DateStuart, Bob Future Project Finance Structures Issue 4 Jul-02

Stuart, Bob The Perfect Storm Issue 3 Apr-02

Stubbings, Cate Which Way Round the World? Issue 17 Nov-04

Tanner, Troy and Lipman, Andrew

Cables Beware - FCC Regulations can Bite Issue 10 Sep-03

Thornton, Geoffrey A Passage to India Issue 13 Mar-04

Thornton, Geoffrey & Devos, Jean

The State of the Industry - Europe, the Middle East and Africa Issue 1 Oct-01

Tremblay, Pierre Mountain of Debt Issue 3 Apr-02

TSA Newsfeed Bandwidth: Shattering the Myth - Carriers shatter the myth of the glut bears Issue 1 Oct-01

Utsumi, Yoshio Challenges For All Issue 7 Mar-03

Walker, John & Bishop, Jim The Security Issues of Multiple Cable Landings Issue 25 Mar-06

Wall, Bill ITG completes Apollo burial Issue 5 Oct-02

Wall, Bill Power Cable Installations Issue 22 Sep-05

Wall, Bill Those other submarine utilities Issue 11 Nov-03

Warnes, David A Big Fish in a Small Pond - Market Liberalization Driving Demand for Bandwidth in Latin America

Issue 3 Apr-02

Weisbruch, John System Rights-Of-Way and Permitting – An Exercise in Patience Issue 31 Mar-07

Wells, Steve; Arnos, Guy; Nielsen, Wayne

Nobody Said It Was Easy Issue 16 Sep-04

Wells, Steve; Fletcher, Ian; Demeroutis, Basil

Alchemy – Reversed then Restored Issue 19 Mar-05

Wells, Steven Is there light at the end of the tunnel? The current subsea marketplace Issue 1 Oct-01

Wells, Steven & Fletcher, Ian When is a Bubble not a Bubble? Issue 7 Mar-03

Wells, Steven and Demeroutis, Basil and Fletcher, Ian

Alchemy Restored Issue 13 Mar-04

Wells, Steven and Demeroutis, Basil and Fletcher, Ian

Alchemy Revisited Issue 12 Jan-04

Wilkie, Alasdair Dublin is Attached to Boston Issue 9 Jul-03

Winter, Charlotte; Murfett, Marianne

What To Do When Things Go Wrong Issue 17 Nov-04

Worrall, Brett PPC-1 Update – The Story So Far – Pipe International Week 15 2008 Issue 38 30-May

54

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55

A global guide to the latest known locations of the world’s cableships*, as of May 2008. Information Provided by Lloyds List.

VESSEL NAME ARRIVAL DATE SAILED DATE PORT NAME COUNTRY NAME

Acergy Discovery 4/15/2008 Velsen Netherlands

4/8/2008 4/8/2008 Algeciras Spain

4/8/2008 4/8/2008 Gibraltar Gibraltar

Agile 4/27/2008 4/28/2008 Dubai United Arab Emirates

3/28/2008 4/27/2008 Jebel Ali United Arab Emirates

5/2/2008 Ajman United Arab Emirates

Asean Restorer 4/21/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

3/22/2008 4/21/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

3/4/2008 3/16/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

Atlantic Guardian 3/30/2008 4/12/2008 Takoradi Ghana

4/12/2008 4/22/2008 Las Palmas Canary Islands

C.S.Sovereign 3/14/2008 3/14/2008 Brunsbuttel Germany

3/13/2008 3/13/2008 Korsor Denmark

3/16/2008 3/30/2008 Portland(GBR) United Kingdom

4/5/2008 4/5/2008 Dover Strait United Kingdom

3/15/2008 3/15/2008 Dover Strait United Kingdom

C/S Vega 4/19/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

Cable Innovator 4/5/2008 4/8/2008 Taichung Taiwan

3/13/2008 3/16/2008 Taichung Taiwan

4/15/2008 4/18/2008 Yokohama Japan

Cable Protector 4/21/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

3/6/2008 4/21/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

Cable Retriever 3/12/2008 3/24/2008 Subic Bay Philippines

Certamen 4/10/2008 4/10/2008 Cagliari Italy

56

VESSEL NAME ARRIVAL DATE SAILED DATE PORT NAME COUNTRY NAME

Certamen 3/7/2008 3/9/2008 Cagliari Italy

4/25/2008 Catania Italy

4/14/2008 4/21/2008 Catania Italy

3/11/2008 4/8/2008 Catania Italy

3/4/2008 3/5/2008 Catania Italy

4/24/2008 4/25/2008 Augusta Italy

3/5/2008 3/6/2008 Augusta Italy

4/8/2008 4/8/2008 Messina Strait Italy

3/10/2008 3/10/2008 Messina Strait Italy

CS Fu Hai 3/18/2008 4/18/2008 Shanghai People’s Republic of China

3/11/2008 3/18/2008 Kitakyushu Japan

DP Reel 3/20/2008 4/20/2008 Abu Kir Arab Republic of Egypt

4/20/2008 4/20/2008 Alexandria(EGY) Arab Republic of Egypt

3/19/2008 3/20/2008 Alexandria(EGY) Arab Republic of Egypt

Eclipse 3/10/2008 Kakinada India

Elektron II 4/2/2008 4/2/2008 Verdal Norway

3/31/2008 3/31/2008 Verdal Norway

3/13/2008 3/14/2008 Kristiansand Norway

3/9/2008 3/10/2008 Brevik Norway

4/22/2008 4/22/2008 Rosyth United Kingdom

3/16/2008 3/17/2008 Chatham United Kingdom

4/6/2008 4/6/2008 Haugesund Norway

4/20/2008 4/21/2008 Buckie United Kingdom

3/28/2008 3/28/2008 Tyne United Kingdom

4/28/2008 4/29/2008 Drammen Norway

3/11/2008 3/12/2008 Drammen Norway

Fender Care 2 5/1/2008 5/2/2008 Apapa-Lagos Nigeria

Geowave Commander 4/24/2008 4/24/2008 Hammerfest Norway

Geowave Master 3/17/2008 3/18/2008 Stavanger Norway

4/4/2008 4/6/2008 Aalesund Norway

4/30/2008 5/2/2008 Lerwick United Kingdom

Giulio Verne 4/26/2008 Naples Italy

3/31/2008 3/31/2008 Porto Torres Italy

3/17/2008 3/17/2008 Dover Strait United Kingdom

57

VESSEL NAME ARRIVAL DATE SAILED DATE PORT NAME COUNTRY NAME

Giulio Verne 3/24/2008 3/24/2008 Gibraltar Gibraltar

Ile de Batz 4/19/2008 4/22/2008 Yokohama Japan

Ile de Brehat 4/24/2008 Brest France

4/19/2008 4/23/2008 Brest France

4/4/2008 4/7/2008 Brest France

4/17/2008 4/17/2008 Dover Strait United Kingdom

3/24/2008 3/24/2008 Dover Strait United Kingdom

Ile de Sein 4/5/2008 4/8/2008 Sydney Australia

IT Interceptor 4/28/2008 4/28/2008 Port Said Arab Republic of Egypt

5/2/2008 Valletta Malta

3/25/2008 4/11/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

IT Intrepid 3/12/2008 3/19/2008 Calais France

3/19/2008 3/19/2008 Dover Strait United Kingdom

KDD Pacific Link 3/11/2008 3/11/2008 Busan Republic of Korea

4/8/2008 5/1/2008 Kitakyushu Japan

3/14/2008 4/8/2008 Kitakyushu Japan

KDDI Ocean Link 4/20/2008 4/26/2008 Shanghai People’s Republic of China

4/17/2008 4/20/2008 Yokohama Japan

3/15/2008 3/19/2008 Yokohama Japan

4/26/2008 4/26/2008 Hakata Japan

Leon Thevenin 4/26/2008 4/26/2008 Vigo Spain

4/18/2008 4/19/2008 Vigo Spain

4/28/2008 Brest France

4/13/2008 4/16/2008 Brest France

3/30/2008 4/8/2008 Brest France

3/28/2008 3/29/2008 Bristol United Kingdom

3/20/2008 3/22/2008 Bristol United Kingdom

4/20/2008 4/21/2008 Cadiz Spain

Lodbrog 3/25/2008 3/26/2008 Taichung Taiwan

4/13/2008 4/13/2008 Kaohsiung Taiwan

3/19/2008 3/19/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

Maersk Recorder 4/20/2008 4/20/2008 Port Hedland Australia

4/18/2008 4/20/2008 Port Hedland Australia

3/6/2008 4/7/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

58

VESSEL NAME ARRIVAL DATE SAILED DATE PORT NAME COUNTRY NAME

Maersk Responder 3/12/2008 3/12/2008 Rio de Janeiro Brazil

4/25/2008 4/25/2008 Luanda Angola

3/29/2008 3/30/2008 Luanda Angola

Nexans Skagerrak 3/20/2008 3/20/2008 Esbjerg Denmark

3/22/2008 5/4/2008 Halden Norway

5/4/2008 5/4/2008 Skaw Denmark

Nordkabel 4/10/2008 4/11/2008 Harstad Norway

3/22/2008 3/24/2008 Bergen Norway

Normand Cutter 4/16/2008 4/22/2008 Limassol Cyprus

3/18/2008 4/1/2008 Limassol Cyprus

4/1/2008 4/2/2008 Port Said Arab Republic of Egypt

3/17/2008 3/18/2008 Port Said Arab Republic of Egypt

5/4/2008 5/5/2008 Marsaxlokk Malta

3/18/2008 4/1/2008 Genoa Italy

Peter Faber 5/5/2008 Keelung Taiwan

3/14/2008 3/14/2008 Suez Arab Republic of Egypt

3/17/2008 3/17/2008 Jeddah Saudi Arabia

3/20/2008 3/20/2008 Bab el Mandeb Strait Yemeni Republic

4/3/2008 4/19/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

Pleijel 4/30/2008 Kalmar Sweden

3/15/2008 4/6/2008 Kalmar Sweden

4/10/2008 4/11/2008 Korsor Denmark

4/28/2008 4/28/2008 Skaw Denmark

4/9/2008 4/9/2008 Skaw Denmark

4/12/2008 4/12/2008 Lysekil Sweden

Raymond Croze 4/24/2008 4/24/2008 Catania Italy

4/14/2008 4/14/2008 Catania Italy

4/25/2008 4/25/2008 Messina Strait Italy

4/20/2008 4/20/2008 Messina Strait Italy

4/14/2008 4/14/2008 Messina Strait Italy

Rene Descartes 3/24/2008 3/24/2008 Busan Republic of Korea

4/19/2008 4/19/2008 Muara Port Brunei Darussalam

3/25/2008 4/12/2008 Kitakyushu Japan

3/12/2008 3/15/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

59

VESSEL NAME ARRIVAL DATE SAILED DATE PORT NAME COUNTRY NAME

Rubicon Maverick 4/20/2008 4/20/2008 Suez Arab Republic of Egypt

4/28/2008 4/28/2008 Bab el Mandeb Strait Yemeni Republic

4/8/2008 4/11/2008 Gibraltar Gibraltar

3/27/2008 4/8/2008 Gibraltar Gibraltar

Salma 3/21/2008 3/23/2008 Praia(CPV) Republic of Cape Verde

4/8/2008 4/21/2008 Setubal Portugal

3/11/2008 3/13/2008 Setubal Portugal

3/6/2008 3/6/2008 Las Palmas Canary Islands

SD Newton 4/14/2008 Portland(GBR) United Kingdom

4/3/2008 4/5/2008 Portland(GBR) United Kingdom

Seamec Princess 3/9/2008 Sharjah United Arab Emirates

Segero 3/26/2008 3/28/2008 Kagoshima Japan

3/25/2008 3/26/2008 Kagoshima Japan

3/14/2008 3/14/2008 Kagoshima Japan

Setouchi Surveyor 3/23/2008 4/21/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

Skandi Neptune 3/18/2008 3/18/2008 U.S. Gulf United States of America

3/18/2008 3/20/2008 Mobile United States of America

Subaru 4/2/2008 4/5/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

Team Oman 4/4/2008 4/4/2008 Port Said Arab Republic of Egypt

4/10/2008 4/10/2008 Messina Strait Italy

Teliri 4/28/2008 Luanda Angola

3/17/2008 3/27/2008 Luanda Angola

Texas Horizon 3/9/2008 3/9/2008 Malta Malta

3/14/2008 Valletta Malta

3/9/2008 3/14/2008 Marsaxlokk Malta

Tyco Decisive 4/23/2008 4/24/2008 Taichung Taiwan

4/30/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

Tyco Dependable 3/25/2008 Baltimore United States of America

Tyco Durable 3/20/2008 3/23/2008 Keelung Taiwan

4/4/2008 Naha Japan

Tyco Resolute 4/30/2008 4/30/2008 Panama Canal Panama

3/17/2008 3/17/2008 Panama Canal Panama

3/7/2008 3/8/2008 Curacao Netherlands Antilles

3/18/2008 3/19/2008 Caldera(CRI) Costa Rica

60

VESSEL NAME ARRIVAL DATE SAILED DATE PORT NAME COUNTRY NAME

Tyco Responder 3/19/2008 Curacao Netherlands Antilles

3/9/2008 3/9/2008 Christiansted American Virgin Islands

Tycom Reliance 4/30/2008 Yokohama Japan

Viking Forcados 4/23/2008 5/4/2008 Apapa-Lagos Nigeria

Wartena 4/23/2008 Kalmar Sweden

4/22/2008 4/22/2008 Vestervik Sweden

4/22/2008 4/23/2008 Oskarshamn Sweden

Wave Mercury 3/4/2008 3/6/2008 Kabil Indonesia

4/26/2008 4/27/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

4/23/2008 4/23/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

4/18/2008 4/23/2008 Singapore Republic of Singapore

Wave Sentinel 4/24/2008 4/25/2008 Portland(GBR) United Kingdom

3/17/2008 3/18/2008 Portland(GBR) United Kingdom

3/15/2008 3/17/2008 Falmouth United Kingdom

4/15/2008 4/17/2008 Dublin Republic of Ireland

Wave Venture 3/8/2008 4/16/2008 Shanghai People’s Republic of China

3/5/2008 3/8/2008 Shanghai People’s Republic of China

61

44

“Botany Bay”

I published recently a modest novel, whose titleis Botany Bay. It is the place in Australia where

Alcatel established asubmarine cable fac-tory in 1989 as part ofits contract for theTasman 2 link. In thissame bay, where twocenturies before theFrench expedition“La Pérouse” made oftwo ships, La Boussole

Warrior event was still in everyone’s memory. Itis for these reasons among others that STC (UK)rejected the Alcatel‘s suggestion to come with ajoint bid, to offer a “European” solution.

One of the winning factors has been thePort-Botany cable factory. Such a factory was astrong requirement from OTC (now Telstra) andthe Australian Government.

Alcatel was the most motivated. Such afactory could expand its influence in the Pacificwhere the three other players were historicallywell established in this region, which representsa large part of their market. They saw thisfactory as a risk for their existing facilities!SubOptic ‘87 in Versailles came at the right time.It is where the Australian teams discovered theFrench model, a close cooperation betweenAlcatel and FT, exactly what they wanted to es-tablish in their country.

My friend, things are changed since, butone thing stays true: When you offer something,the reader can see between the lines if you areor not genuinely motivated and sincere. Thenyour offer becomes really attractive and thisopens the route to “Botany Bay.”

See you soon.

Submarcom Consulting

My Dear Friend

Letter to a friendfrom Jean Devos

Jean Devos

and l’Astrolabe, landed in 1788 to discover thatCaptain Cook was already around bearing theBritish flag. So Botany Bay is now for me thesymbol of a dream which becomes a reality!

Tasman 2 has been yet another chapterin this long Anglo-French competition! Theaward to Alcatel came out as a big surprise tomany, including inside Alcatel. Everybody wasnaturally expecting the British to win that bat-tle, and such an expectation was at that timevery logical.

There were so many difficulties andmisunderstanding between Australia andFrance, the main one being the French presencein the Pacific area, the worse being the nuclearbomb experiment in Tahiti! The sad Rainbow

My dear Friend,We in this industry are well aware that technolgy is the main factor of the global changes! But the dominant culture today is somewhat reluctant about it. Only very few people believe that the good future of human beings depend upon science and technology. The dominant culture is accusing the scientists, the engineers of degrading our planet! The number of young people keen to become engineers is drastically coming down. This is worrying.

When I was at the university learning physics and electronics in the 50s, just 10 years after the war, we had the feeling to get prepared for the mission of rebuilding the country, bringing human beings to a better world. One of my professsors in 1957 was claiming that “electronics will change the world.” We entered the industry full of enthousiasm and we have effectively changed the world! It is my view that despite all the problems today, the world is in much better shape in 2008 than it was

in 1958! In 1958, I was 20 and I could not travel freely to Eastern Europe, or Spain or Portugal -- Dictatorships behind close doors. And if it had been possible, I could not afford such intra European trips; too costly for an ordinary student! And the world’s level of life was far from being the one of today.

We can be very proud of having built a powerful global network, the high speed vehicle of the internet. I am convinced that this is a significant contribution to a better world. This brings people closer to each other and helps people to better understand each other.

My friend, I have been asked recently to give a lecture on our activity to a local “university for everyone,” but I was also requested “not to be too technical”; big honour to be perceived, at now 70 , as someone who could give a highly technical paper, but it shows how unpopular is the

technical dimension. Only very, very few people show an interest in learning about our fiber optic submarine network!

Well… so goes the world!

I’ll now go for a walk, or a swim or a bike run, enjoying my new high tech hips. Great technology -- They look like the cable to repeater mechanical couplings. Hope they will work flawless for 25 years. That should do.

Jean Devos

Technology!

62

Conference Date Venue www

Submarine Networks World 2008

18-20 August 2008 Singapore www.terrapinn.com/2008/snw/index.stm

ITU Telecom Asia 2-5 September 2008 Bangkok, Thailand www.itu.int/ASIA2008

Offshore Communications Conference 2008

4-6 November 2008 Houston, Texas USA www.offshorecoms.com

Pacific Telecoms Conference 2009

18-21 January 2009 Honolulu, Hawaii USA www.ptc.org

SubOptic 2010 11-14 May 2010 Yokohama, Japan www.suboptic.org