Seacom and Eassy, two cable systems that connect South Africa with Kenya – and onward to Europe and the Asian subcontinent – were damaged on Sunday about 455 km north of Durban.

The Léon Thévenin, which is owned by Orange Marine, is expected to reach the site of the cable damage by today. The repair time will be dependent on weather, sea conditions and the extent of the damage.   The cause of the damaged was original attributed to seismic activity but that has not been confirmed.

Africa has been plagued by too many sub-marine cable breaks questioning if the cables are as robust as claimed.

In February, a stricken vessel dragged its anchor through three cables in the Red Sea – including the Seacom system – impacting connectivity in the region. Those cables still haven’t been repaired due the geopolitical instability in the region.

In March, a seismic event off the Ivory Coast severed four cables simultaneously.

The Thevenin is equipped with traditional cable works tools – grapnels, buoys, ropes, dead-weight but also with a modern ROV. This remotely operated vehicle is used for detection, cutting, recovery, jointing and testing. The Thevenin is capable of operating repairs in very shallow waters, as well as in deep waters – between 10 and 7 000 metres.

Work in extreme conditions

With her high freeboard, she may sail in deep seas with poor weather conditions. The bows – located 8 metres above sea level allows the ship to work in sea state 6, with waves up to 6 metres.  The powerful propulsion and the dynamic positioning system are securing high levels of sea-keeping capabilities even with strong currents and wind. The ROV follow device allows an optimum positioning between the ship and the submarine vehicle during the diving operations.

The Thevenin replaced  the CS Chamarel, which was previously stationed in Cape Town harbour to service African sub-marine cables.