Fibre-optic cables to be strengthened in the Baltic Sea
Background – increasing demands on digital resilience
More than 95 percent of global international data traffic is carried through submarine fibre-optic cables. In the Baltic Sea, Tykoflex and Baltic Offshore, together with Lilaco Offshore, have for many years demonstrated a strong and proven capability to rapidly restore damaged infrastructure when incidents occur at a relatively stable and predictable fault rate.
A new program is now being launched to further develop this model into an even more scalable and future-proof repair preparedness system, initially focused on the Baltic Sea. The objective is to enable rapid mobilisation of standby resources when the number of incidents rises sharply. The heightened risk of multiple simultaneous outages driven by the current security environment places new demands on material availability, competence and operational capacity.
Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defence, Erik Slottner, says:
“Strengthening repair capability in the Baltic Sea directly increases our resilience and reinforces Sweden’s digital independence by creating more alternative routes when incidents or disruptions occur.”
The study focuses on:
• ensuring rapid access to the right equipment and repair materials
• developing training to build and maintain offshore fibre-repair readiness
• increasing the ability to quickly release and adapt vessels and equipment that normally operate in other sectors
• further developing Tykoflex’s universal jointing system, Seaflex®, for future sensors such as SMART cables and actively repeated cable systems
Richard Petterson Wigh, CEO of Tykoflex, says:
“The Baltic Sea already has a strong repair model that has proven effective in real-world situations. This initiative clearly shows how industry and government can work together to build a more resilient society.”
Natalie Franzén, CEO of Baltic Offshore, says:
“There is a clear need to be able to free up vessel resources, but perhaps even more importantly, operational competence. Experience and know-how take time to build and maintain to ensure practical repair capability, and it is crucial that we work proactively. We are pleased that this study will allow us to further strengthen repair preparedness in the Baltic Sea.”
EU funding enabling the initiative
The initiative is carried out within the programme “How repair preparedness can stimulate resilient and diversified fibre optic cable systems”, funded by the Connecting Europe Facility – Digital (CEF Digital). The project is undertaken by Tykoflex and Baltic Offshore as part of the European Union’s broader efforts to strengthen Europe’s digital infrastructure and resilience.
Ongoing information and updates about the project will be published at: www.subsearesilience.com
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