Page 37: of Marine Technology Magazine (January 2025)

MAP OF SUBMARINE CABLES

Credit: TeleGeography

Importance of Subsea Infrastructure • As of June 2024, this number has grown to include

Subsea infrastructure plays a critical role in maintaining the op- more than 600 active and planned submarine cables, erational continuity of the modern society and the global econo- emphasizing their continued expansion and importance my. This vast network includes subsea data and communication (TeleGeography, 2024).

cables, pipelines for energy transportation, electricity cables, Beyond communication, the seabed also supports extensive en- and resource extraction systems. What’s important is that these ergy infrastructure, including gas pipelines and electricity cables. components are increasingly vulnerable to damage, whether due For example, the North Sea alone hosts approximately 3,000 ki- to natural phenomena or intentional human interference. lometers of gas pipelines alongside numerous cables1. As climate

In the realm of communications, submarine cables are indis- change accelerates the shift to renewable energy, the importance pensable: of undersea infrastructure has signi? cantly increased. While some • They carry between 97% to 99% of global inter- traditional oil and gas pipelines may decline in number, there are net traf? c, underpinning everything from everyday civil- initiatives to repurpose these structures for new applications, such ian internet usage to critical ? nancial transactions and as transporting hydrogen or enabling carbon capture and stor- military communications (Defense News, 2020; TeleGe- age. Additionally, electricity cables interconnect power markets, ography, 2024). allowing for electricity transfer to balance supply and demand • Cable traf? c represents about $10 trillion in daily across regions and between islands and the mainland, thus sup- ? nancial transactions. (Defense News, 2020) porting the integration of variable renewable energy sources. The • With over 570 submarine data and communica- growth of offshore wind power, for instance, requires more sea- tion cables currently in use, stretching across more than bed electricity cables to connect new wind farms to the grid.

14 million kilometers and connecting over 1,300 land- Aside from civilian uses, underwater cables are vital for ing stations globally, these cables form the backbone military operations. Most military communications, including of our global connectivity (Military Law Review, 2021; those necessary for operating remote drones in distant the-

TeleGeography, 2024). aters, are transmitted through the transatlantic and transpaci? c

Subsea infrastructure, including pipelines and cabling carrying electricity and communications, is relatively easy to sever, but takes months and millions to effectively repair.

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