Prysmian, N-Sea team on rapid response maintenance and repair for subsea cables

Italian cabling giant Prysmian has signed a seven-year framework agreement with Dutch subsea services specialist N-Sea for rapid response maintenance and repair of submarine cables.

This partnership will bring a brand-new solution for submarine cable maintenance and repair to the market.

The announcement follows the European Commission’s recent request to ensure the safety of critical energy and telecommunications infrastructure.

Prysmian will now become the only solutions provider to have a vessel that is fully dedicated to inspection, maintenance, and repair operations. This unique capability will ensure the fastest and most effective response to any disruption.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will have dedicated engineering services, a specialised vessel, and high voltage jointers ready to intervene at any moment.

“Over the past months, it has become clear to the world just how essential undersea cables are. The European Commission has called for a solution, and we are proud to be the only player that can achieve a market-led response,” said Raul Gil, transmission EVP at Prysmian.

This kind of service has been put into focus following several cable-cutting incidents in the past year and a half. In October 2023, the Chinese-controlled NewNew Polar Bear containership caused damage to a communication cable between Sweden and Estonia and a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia.

In November 2024, the 23-year-old panamax bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 was noted as the top suspect linked to the severing of two data cables. This was followed by the Taiwanese Coast Guard claiming that a telecoms cable was severed off its northern coast with the Xing Shun 39 general cargo vessel suspected.

Also, a Russia-linked LR1 tanker Eagle S, carrying oil from Russia to Egypt, was detained after being suspected of damaging a subsea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia.

In related company news, the Milan-based firm recently bought Channell Commercial Corporation, a provider of integrated solutions in the connectivity sector in the United States, for a consideration of $950m.

The price could rise by another $200m based on Channell’s reaching certain EBITDA objectives for the year 2025.