The e-marine cable ship assigned to repair the damaged submarine cable SEA-ME-WE-3, has found evidence of dragging anchor of a vessel and fishing nets which cut the cable in the shallow waters off the coastline of Arabian Sea. Sources told Business Recorder that the major challenge facing e-marine cable ship and her crew is the high monsoon weather in the region.
The repair work on the cable is under way and is expected to be completed in the second week of this month.
"This submarine cable rests in shallow waters and that is a challenge to the navigation of our cable ship." The shallow water has been the reason for the damage to the cable, which was cut by a vessel-dragging anchor, source said.
Another source said that fishing net is considered one of the major causes of damage to the submarine cable through which the country has faced Internet suspension from outside world.
The experts said that the cut and damaged section is being replaced now, with the cable ship of Etisalat attaching three km cable to the main cable at two points. The damage to the cable has not affected other countries in the region, sources said.
The submarine cable SEA-ME-WE-3 has a total length of 39,000 km, and includes 39 landing points in 33 countries in Europe, Asia, Pacific, and Australia. The other countries besides Pakistan in this segment of SEA-ME-WE-3 include the UAE, Oman, India, and Djibouti.
The experts from E-marine, a submarine cable installation, maintenance and repair company, has a contract with the SEA-ME-WE-3 consortium for annual storage, repair and maintenance of the cable across the region.
Sources said that experts repairing the undersea cable have photographed the evidence that damaged the cable and sent to senior officials of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).
Another source said that the experts came to know that fishing net some time back had trapped one of cable fence and three or four fishing boats may have pulled the submarine cable and damaged it.
They also provided physical evidence of fishing net that is winch-off with the submarine cable from deep seabed and come to know that they have found pieces of fishing net.
V A Abdi, Secretary of Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK) has suggested that sounding surveys to determine the topographic irregularities may help to avoid such suspension. The consortium should distribute free information and marked cable warning charts to the marine traffic, especially the side scan and sonar surveys of proposed routes of submarine cable to identify wrecks and obstructions in the sea, he added.
He said the consortium of cable owners has to protect the cables in the coastal waters to reduce the damage risk by consulting with the fishing communities and authority before laying the undersea cable.
Armouring cables and burial of cable should be managed in most vulnerable areas, he said, adding that the education and awareness programmes in the local coastal communities should be organised.