Europe must work in partnership with marine contractors to safeguard critical undersea infrastructure

In the silent depths of our oceans lies the infrastructure upon which Europe’s digital economy and energy transition depend. Yet, for all its vital importance, this crisscrossing network of subsea telecommunications and power cables remains largely invisible to the wider public and, until recently, has been too often overlooked by policymakers.

Europe’s subsea cable infrastructure, the backbone of its digital economy and energy transition, is facing mounting risks from geopolitical tension, climate impacts, and lack of preparedness.

Subsea telecommunications cables carry over 99 per cent of global intercontinental data traffic; with power cables increasing amounts of renewable power as well as sharing power between countries in Europe. Damage to this infrastructure, whether through accidental fishing, anchoring, natural hazards or other causes, can disrupt financial systems, energy flows, and digital communications in real-time. Yet, repair operations are increasingly subject to delays, not only due to capacity constraints but also to inconsistent and outdated permitting regimes across EU member states.

Policymakers are becoming increasingly aware of these threats. In our recent conversations with the European Commission and with MEPs, as well as highlighting the essential role played by marine contractors in our economy and in Europe’s energy transition, we have also made clear that our industry has an essential role to play in installing and maintaining these undersea arteries – the invisible lifelines of the modern world.

Telecommunications cables are currently supported by global maintenance zones and industry-led agreements – such as the Atlantic Cable Maintenance Agreement and Mediterranean Cable Maintenance Agreement – that have proven effective in enabling rapid mobilisation. Similar zone agreements operate in other parts of the world, forming a global system of cooperation across the subsea telecoms sector. However, the fleet of vessels supporting this model is ageing, with limited investment certainty. 

Power cable repair is a different challenge, involving more complex operations, diverse ownership models, and limited regulatory cohesion. Vessels may be in high demand for installation projects when emergency repairs are needed, while cross-border permitting obstacles can create critical delays. Power cables are larger, much more complex and more difficult to repair than telecommunication cables, meaning the impact of delay can be more significant.

This is why in August, in partnership with the European Subsea Cables Association – the industry body representing owners and operators of submarine telecommunication and power cables in European and surrounding waters – we published a new roadmap designed to enhance Europe’s preparedness.
We propose a new public-private partnership, working in collaboration with the EU to deliver greater public–private investment to enhance the repair fleet and support strategic equipment reserves, national training and workforce programmes to address skills shortages and succession gaps, and urgent reform of regulatory frameworks to enable faster response times to unexpected outages.

Our recommendations follow the publication of the European Commission’s Cable Security Action Plan, which calls for improvements in prevention, detection, response, and deterrence to address threats to submarine cables. While welcome, we believe that without direct collaboration between public bodies and the submarine cable industry, Europe may fall short of the resilience now urgently required.

Through our engagement with European institutions, policymakers increasingly understand that ours is a strategically critical industry that underpins Europe’s energy and digital transitions. However, without coordinated investment and strategic support, there is a danger that capacity gaps will emerge at precisely the moment when we can least afford them. The EU Action Plan is a positive step forward, but subsea cable resilience must be treated as a matter of national and continental importance, supported by coherent policy, coordinated response, and sustained investment.

Now is the time for decisive follow-through across member states – in partnership with industry.