Nalaka Siriwardena

Engineer/SEA-ME-WE 4 Project
Engineer/Projects

Why Submarine Cables?

• Cost effective on large routes

• High bandwidth due to the evolution of
technology such as DWDM
• High Quality with low attenuation.
• No interference
• High security
• Efficient Network Management
• High Reliability

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Contents
• Pre-installation
– Desk top Study
– SLD
– Survey (Off shore, BAS, Inshore)
• Cable Laying
– Technology
• SEA-ME-WE 4 Experience

Pre-Instillation...
Desk Top Study (DTS)
• This is the first stage of any cable route survey
operation.
• DTS draws on published information of interest to the
cable engineers planning the route and selecting suitable
cable types.
• DTS provides information on climate, weather patterns,
bathymetry, temperatures, shipping, fishing, EEZ,
Military Reserved Areas, other cables (both in use and
out of use) etc. along the proposed route.
• Selecting a LP, Duct Route, OGB Site, Building &
Access Facilities
• Deciding a Preliminary Cable route

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 Pre-Instillation Î Desk Top Study (DTS)
Items Involved in DTS
• Collection of Data & Information
• Analysis and Assessment of Data and
Information Collected
• Mapping of Data and Information
• Study of Prohibited or Dangerous Areas for
Cable Installation
• Selection of Alternative Routes and LD
• A comparison and assessment of routes and LP
• Priority Ranking of Alternative routes and LP
• Conformation of Suitability of each LP
• Decision of the Preliminary Route

Pre-Instillation Î Desk Top Study (DTS)

Items Involved in DTS
• Collection of Data & Information
Information on Natural Environment
Marine Charts, Seabed topographic Map, Sea Bed Geographical
Structure map, Topographic Map of Coastal sea Area, Map of
Land conditions in coastal Sea Area
Information on Fishing Industry
Fishermen's Associations, Maps of Fishing Rights Areas, Under
Water Fish Tanks, Positions of Fixed Nets, Fishing equipments &
methods
External Information mainly From Government Department
Plan of Harbour, Construction plans for Coast Conservation,
Areas of anchoring, Anchor Prohibited Areas, Coastal
Preservation Areas, City/Airport Development Palns,
Permits/Approvals

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 Pre-Instillation Î Desk Top Study (DTS)
Outcome of DTS
• Route Positioning List (RPL)
• Route Chart
• Straight Line Diagram (SLD)
• Shore End Protection Methods
• Land Cable Route
• Any Other Specific Requirement

Pre-Instillation Î Desk Top Study (DTS)

Part of Our DTS

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Pre-Instillation Î Desk Top Study (DTS)
Our SLD during DTS
Segment 1 of SEA-ME-WE 4 Cable System

Colombo Bangladesh Thailand Malaysia

Mumbai Chennai Singapore

India
India

Segment 1b Segment 1a

Pre-Instillation Î Desk Top Study (DTS)

Our SLD during DTS

Colombo Colombo
LP DA/SA SA/LWA LWA/LWP BU
28.015km 4.277km 8.781km 5.218km

DA SA LWA LWP

Cum. Length 28.015km 32.291km 41.073km 46.291km

Slack 1.00% 2.00% 2.00% 3.00%

Depth 0m 250m 700m 1500m 1900m

Note: These figures may change after Survey

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 Î Desk Top Study (DTS)
Pre-Instillation
Our SLD during DTS
Selecting a Landing Point
Location of Bach Man-hole
Decide on the Location for BMH
Investigate available BMH
Or Construction of a new BMH
Duct Routes
New duct Route or
Existing Ducts Routes
Study on Man-holes
Requirement of sub-ducts
It is always advisable to use existing duct routes and existing
BMH (if available). Otherwise construction of a new BMH and a
duct route will cost more.

Selecting a Landing Point…

Easy Access to the Proposed Cable Station

Proposed LP

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 Pre-Instillation...
Survey
•• ToTo obtain
obtain necessary
necessary information
information for
for
selecting
selecting aa Landing
Landing Point
Point and
and aa Cable
Cable
Route
Route
•• Collect
Collect oceanic
oceanic information
information for
for
–– Designing
Designing Cable
Cable Types
Types
–– Planning
Planning Cable
Cable Laying
Laying
–– Burial
Burial Operation
Operation
•• Shore
Shore End
End Protecting
Protecting methodology
methodology
•• Landing
Landing Site
Site Surveys
Surveys

Pre-Instillation... Survey The branch of geology that studies the

characteristics and configuration and
“Scope of Work” Described in SC of SEA-ME-WE 4 evolution of rocks and land forms

– general bathymetry;
– morphology and nature of the seabed;
– sea bottom and sub-bottom characteristics (such as sand waves, coral reef);
– sea bottom temperature and seasonal variations;
Muddiness created by
– surface, sub-surface and seabed current influences; stirring up sediment or
– seismic and volcanic activity; having foreign particles
– turbidity currents; suspended
– climatologic conditions;
– territorial waters and exclusive economic zones;
– in-use, abandoned and planned dumping sites;
– in-service, out-of-service and planned pipelines;
– in-service, out-of-service and planned cables (telecommunications and power);
– cable fault history;
– fishing activities, dredging, submarine resource development activities;
– shipping activities, navigation restrictions, anchoring and prohibited anchoring
areas;
– wrecks and other hazards;
– route position list, straight line diagram and burial requirements;
– installation procedures.

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 Pre-Instillation... Survey
International Waters,
EEC, Territorial
Waters

Source: Internet

Pre-InstillationÎ Survey
Marine Survey
Landfall/
Inshore Survey

Offshore shallow water

Deep Water Survey
Survey
BM

3m
15 - 20m
SEA Diver Swim
1000m Survey

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Pre-Instillation... Survey
Marine Survey Equipments
Purpose
Depth of Water Topography
Surface of Sea Bottom
Sub Bottom Profile
Materials of Sea Bottom
Water Temperature
Ocean and Tidal Current
Burial Assessment
Pre-Instillation...
Survey…
• Submarine Topography
• Materials of sea bed/Burial Assessment
– Mud
– Sand
– Rock
– Thickness of sediment
• Positioning (GPS)
• Implementation of Route Survey
the shape of an area of land and
the things that are on it, including
its hills, valleys etc
Measuring the depths
of the oceans
Equipment
Echo Sounder, Multi Narrow Beam Sounder
Bathymetry Mapping System
Side Scan SONAR, Camera
Sonoprobe, SG SONAR, Airgun, Sparker
Grab Sampler, Dredge, Poston Core, Sampler,
Vibro Corer
XBT, Electric Water thermometer
Anderaa Current Meter
Anchor Towing, Plow Towing, Cone Penetration
Testing
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 Part of bathymetry Chart of SEA-ME-
Pre-Instillation... Survey

WE 4
Pre-Instillation...Survey

Conclusions and recommendations

of Survey
• Discussion of results
• Recommended cable types
• Recommended cable slack for installation
• Recommended Route Position Lists
• Recommended Straight Line Diagrams
• Recommended cable protection measures
• Marine installation procedures
• Any information considered to be of value to
cable route engineering, installation and
maintenance

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Cable Installation

Important
Follow the finalized RPL
Confirm the laying on actual sea bed without
suspension and residual tension
Maintain Proper speed of Ship and Cable lay
speed
Positioning of submerged Plants properly
Follow the International Regulations/Laws and
Safety Features

Cable Installation…
Cable Holding

Cable Slack Position

A
d B
70°-85°
θ

l1
l2
l = l1 - l2
l − d
Zero s =
Tension d

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Cable Installation…

Cable Configuration during Laying

θ Vs
1
(Vs.sinθ )2 d.ρ
2 When the force equilibrium,

W . cos θ = C .
1
(Vs . sin θ )2 d .ρ
θ 2
W: weight per unit length
W θ: Cable Incident Angle
Vs Speed of Cable Ship
d: Diameter of Cable
ρ: Density of sea water

Cable Installation…
Ship Velocity Vs Cable Angle

Source: Submarine Cable Network Systems

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 Cable Installation…
Cable Configuration during Laying…

• Cable Holding
• Start of Laying of the Cable from Cable
Holding
• End of Cable Laying
• Cable Lay on Slope
• Transient Slack when Cable Type/Ship
Speed is changed
• Real Time Slack Control

Cable Installation…

Cable Laying Operation

From offshore towards the cable landing station A, one end

of the cable is paid out by the ship and "landed". During this
phase, the cable is suspended by balloon buoys to prevent
possible damage to the cable. Later the buoys are detached,
allowing the cable to sink to the ocean floor.
Drawings taken from web

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 Cable Installation…

Cable Laying Operation…

The ship lays cable as it navigates towards the opposite

station or a designated point in mid-ocean.

Cable Installation…

Cable Laying Operation…

At the designated point, the Ship connects its cable With the
terminal of a cable previously laid from station B.

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 Cable Installation…

Cable Laying Operation…

Upon completion of the final connection; the cable is allowed

to sink to the ocean floor.

Protection Technology

Causes for Submarine Cable Faults

• Natural Phenomenon
– Earthquakes
– abrasion due to currents/wave action
– Fish bite
• Human Activities
– Fishing Activities
– Ship Anchoring

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 Protection Technology…

• Strengthening of Cable
– Adding armoring
– High quality materials
• Burying the Cable
– Simultaneous burial with Cable Laying
Operations (Using Plough)
– Retro-burial (Using ROV, Seabed Tractors)

Protection Technology…
Types of Cable Burial Systems

• Cable Plough

Burial of the cable into the seabed for enhanced

cable protection using a plough (usually towed
from the installation vessel as the cable is
deployed from the vessel). Depth of Water: Up to
1500m, Burial Depth: 3m
The cable is guided into the bottom of a narrow
trench cut into the seabed by the plough depressor

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 Cable
Plough

Protection Technology…
Types of Cable Burial Systems

• ROV Remotely Operated Vessel

A submersible unmanned vehicle used to inspect,

debury, bury or re-bury cables. They can also be used
to carry out surveys and inspection of the cable on
the seabed. ROV’s are usually fitted with cameras,
cable tracking equipment and for burial operations can
be fitted with a jetting or trenching tool package.

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ROV (Remotely Operated Vessel)

Protection Technology…
Types of Cable Burial Systems

• Tractor

• Injector
• Cable Trencher

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 More Topics to Discuss…

• Surveying Vessels
• Cable Ships
• Submarine Cable Repairs
• Multi-Cable Landing
• Pipe Landing Method (HDD)
• Test Equipments

During Land Fall/Inshore Survey at

Galle Face…
Unforgettable experience during the Survey….
It was on 26th December 2004, we continued our survey.
It was the last day of the survey at the shore-end.
Sea water level rose up to the Galle Face Ground Level within a few
seconds…
A big surprise…
Suddenly the water receded exposing the sea-bed which looked like a
grassless ground… A very rare sight…
Our Officers were lucky enough to capture the moment electronically in
their cameras…
Later we understood that it was a Tsunami, striking our coasts …

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 The moment just before Tsunami waves hit during the Survey
at Galle Face, Colombo…
Memories of SEA-ME-WE 4 Cable Project

Tsunami waters disturbing the Survey…

Memories of SEA-ME-WE 4 Cable Project

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Wonders in the sea bed after Tsunami…
SEA-ME-WE 2 Cable in the sea bed exposed…

Memories of SEA-ME-WE 4 Cable Project

Cable laying… …
During SEA-ME-WE 4

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During SEA-ME-WE 4 …

During SEA-ME-WE 4 …

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