A subsea cable is never more exposed than while it is being laid. The route is new, with no history of vessel behaviour to draw on. The installation itself puts vessels and equipment in the water for weeks at a time, along a fixed line that other traffic has to be kept clear of. Protecting a cable during installation is the work of keeping that traffic away from the operation, so the cable reaches the seabed intact and the people laying it stay safe.
UltramapGlobal has protected subsea cables since 2009, and cable installers are one of the five sectors we watch every day. This is how monitoring supports installation, at the point where a cable is most vulnerable.
When a cable is most vulnerable
Once a cable is buried and in service it has a baseline. The monitoring team knows the route and the traffic that usually runs it, so it knows what normal looks like. During installation none of that exists yet. The cable is on or near the surface of the seabed, the laying vessel is working slowly along a fixed line, and any other vessel that strays into the operation is a risk to both the cable and the crew.
This is the window where a strike or an entanglement is most likely and most costly, because a fault found during installation can mean re-laying a section rather than repairing one. Watching the traffic around the operation is how that risk is caught early.
How UltramapGlobal monitors subsea cable installation
UltramapGlobal is always on, and around an installation we shield the work at its most exposed points. We define protection zones around the operation and police them for compliance, watching the vessel traffic without a break. AssetMonitor®, our specialist cable monitoring software, receives and analyses AIS data from several sources at once. AIS, the Automatic Identification System, is the position and movement information that vessels broadcast about themselves, drawn from shore-based receivers and satellites, as well as receivers on board guard and patrol vessels. AssetMonitor handles well over 100 million live AIS messages worldwide every single day.
Where it helps, we advise a layered defence: a 1,000 metre early-warning perimeter with a 500 metre action-required perimeter inside it. When a vessel crosses the outer ring an alarm reaches the monitoring team, an analyst assesses whether it is a genuine risk, and where it is, calls the vessel and asks it to alter course. Trained analysts sit behind the software, on watch 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.
Through the lay itself we work alongside the installation project team, feeding back around the clock and updating lay progress in AssetMonitor as the cable goes down. The project team sees where the operation has reached and what traffic is around it, in the same system that will watch the cable once it is in service.
Building the record from day one
Monitoring during installation protects the laying operation and, from the cable’s first day, begins the record of normal vessel behaviour on that route. Bringing monitoring in at installation, rather than after the first incident, means the baseline is being built while the cable is laid, and the live picture already draws on an archive gathered continuously since 2009. A team that knows what normal looks like on a route spots the abnormal sooner, right through the working life of the cable.
Protecting the asset and the people
Much of this work happens in volatile and often dangerous waters, and keeping vessels away from an installation safeguards the people working there as much as the cable itself. A tailored approach to protecting a cable also plays to what UltramapGlobal calls its assurance not insurance credentials, in that the work is aimed at preventing damage rather than settling up after it.
If you are laying a subsea cable and want the operation watched from the first day, UltramapGlobal can be reached on +44 (0)191 233 6351 or at info@ultramapglobal.com. For the wider picture, see our guide to how subsea cables are protected.
Frequently asked questions
Why do subsea cables need monitoring during installation?
Because a cable is most exposed while it is being laid. The route is new and there is no baseline of normal traffic. The operation also puts vessels and equipment in the water. Monitoring keeps other traffic away from the work, when a strike or entanglement is most likely and hardest to put right.
How does UltramapGlobal protect a cable during laying?
By defining and policing protection zones around the operation and monitoring vessel traffic constantly with AIS data. A layered defence, such as a 1,000 metre early-warning perimeter and a 500 metre action-required perimeter, gives the team time to warn a vessel off before it reaches the work.
Does UltramapGlobal work with the installation team during the lay?
Yes. The monitoring team works alongside the installation project team through the operation, feeding back around the clock and updating lay progress in AssetMonitor, so the project team and the watch are looking at the same picture.
When should cable monitoring start?
As early as possible. Monitoring from installation builds the record of normal vessel behaviour on the route straightaway, which helps the team recognise a developing risk sooner for the whole life of the cable.
Does monitoring protect people as well as the cable?
Yes. Much of this work happens in volatile and dangerous waters, and keeping vessels away from an installation is a safety intervention as much as an asset one.
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