SubCom Reliance

SubCom Reliance is one of the roughly sixty cable ships worldwide that keep the internet alive — laying new submarine cables and repairing broken ones, sailing for SubCom in the South Pacific (SPMMA).

Specifications

OperatorSubCom
Roleboth
FlagMarshall Islands
Built2001
Length × beam139.1 m × 21 m
Gross tonnage12,184
Cable capacity5,465.5 tonnes
Crew80
DP classDP2 (ABS +DPS-2)
Base portNouméa, New Caledonia
Maintenance zoneSouth Pacific (SPMMA)

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Overview

SubCom Reliance is a heavy-capacity cable ship operated by SubCom, one of the principal contractors in the undersea cable industry. Built in 2001 and registered under the Marshall Islands flag, the vessel is configured for both installation and repair work — a combination that makes it a flexible asset in a region where the cable network is simultaneously expanding and ageing.

Capabilities

The ship carries up to 5,465.5 tonnes of cable, stored in tanks below deck and paid out under tension through a linear cable engine rated to 16 tonnes, supported by two drum engines with 4.0-metre spools. At 139.1 metres in length with a 21-metre beam and 12,184 gross tonnes, the vessel has the hull volume to undertake long deep-water installations without resupply.

Burial — laying cable beneath the seabed to protect it from fishing gear and anchors — is handled by a sea plough capable of cutting to either 1. 5 or 3 metres depth, depending on seabed conditions. Where the plough cannot operate, a cable-trenching ROV (remotely operated vehicle) takes over, rated to 2,500 metres water depth.

On repair voyages, the ship recovers damaged cable to the surface, where technicians splice in a new section before the cable is re-laid.

Dynamic positioning to DP2 standard (certified by the American Bureau of Shipping under its +DPS-2 notation) allows the vessel to hold a precise position using thrusters alone, without anchoring — essential when working over a live cable in deep water.

Base and Zone

SubCom Reliance is based in Nouméa, New Caledonia, positioning it within the South Pacific Maintenance and Marine Agreement (SPMMA) zone. This regional maintenance arrangement pools resources across member cable systems, and having a capable dual-role vessel on station in Nouméa shortens response times across a wide arc of the Pacific.