Vocus Communications has informed that the building of Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) has began.
Alcatel Submarine Network’s (ASN) cable ship Ile de Batz will lay the cable from near Christmas Island to Fremantle, near Perth in Western Australia. The route covers a distance of around 3,000km and travels through deep water for about 90 percent of the route.
A sister ship, the ASN Ile de Ré is laying 1,600km of cable in shallow water between Singapore and Christmas Island.
Vocus head of Network Product, Pricing and Carrier, Luke Mackinnon said: “We could have done the entire lay with one vessel, but we decided to use two. Not only does this speed up things up, but the conditions for each of the two stages are quite different.”
The Ile de Batz vessel is expected to complete the installation of its section in around one month.
In addition, Ile de Ré vessel, laying cable from Singapore to Christmas Island, is planned to take around 100 days to complete the work.
To protect the cable from the elements, other cables, fishing vessels or dropped anchors, the Ile de Ré uses a 40 tonne plough to bury the cable under the seabed.
“ We’re very pleased with the progress being made on the ASC project and it is something the company has been focused on for a long time. Now it is a reality, we are having deep engagement with a range of customers who are planning on leveraging the cable in their business from day one, ” said Mick Simmons , interim CEO of Vocus Group.
“The ASC represents the latest submarine cable technology, delivering superior reliability and much-needed diversity to an important route. This milestone means we’re one step closer to bringing customers an alternative to the fragile Sea-Me-We 3 system which is nearing end of life,” he added.