Alcatel breaks world record in deep-sea cable repairs in the Pacific Ocean
23 June 2003 Paris Lightwave--Alcatel announced today the successful completion of a fiber-optic cable repair in water depths close to 9,400 m--thereby breaking the world record for deep-sea cable repair operations.
The Alcatel operated cable ship, C.S Heimdal, completed the fiber-optic cable repair on a transpacific cable system connecting Japan to the U.S. continent approximately 700 km off the coast of Japan. Due to water depths varying from 5,300 m to the world record breaking 9,400 m, Alcatel developed a purpose-built grapnel to avoid the cable breaking under its own weight, while drawing it up from the sea bed for repair.
Based in Japan and fully mobilized with a complete crew, as well as remotely operated vehicles, the C.S. Heimdal vessel enables Alcatel to help its customers responding to potential cable outage within 12 hours.
"This achievement positions Alcatel as a premier wet maintenance service provider under extreme conditions such as rough volcanic terrain and steep slopes in water depths of up to 9,400 meters" said Jean Godeluck, president of Alcatel's submarine activity. "Building on more than 150 years of experience in the submarine cable business, Alcatel is committed to further enhance its service offering and offer its customers the highest level of expertise."
Today Alcatel is the worldwide leader of the submarine market, according to an RHK report in the first quarter of 2003. The company has deployed over 450,000 km of submarine networks - i.e. 11 times the circumnavigation of the globe - stretching from Europe to Japan, along the length of the Americas and across the Pacific Ocean.
