SUBCO Weighs Australia Cable Ship As Repair Capacity Shifts Toward 2030

Australia's submarine cable market could face a post-2030 repair-capacity squeeze, and SUBCO is weighing whether to answer it with its own survey drone and cable-laying vessel.

The Australian outlet iTnews reported that SUBCO founder and co-CEO Bevan Slattery outlined the idea at the AusNOG conference in Brisbane last month.

The proposal links a near-term survey-capability gap with a larger question of who will build and repair the routes that carry international connectivity into and out of Australia.

Survey Capacity Is The First Constraint

Australia already has an oceanic survey asset in CSIRO's research vessel Investigator, but Slattery described that vessel as heavily booked for the next two to three years across work that includes defence and environmental projects.

That scheduling pressure makes it harder for a cable operator to guarantee access when route surveys are needed.

SUBCO is therefore considering an uncrewed surface vessel, or USV, for its own survey needs.

Slattery indicated that the company is looking at buying the drone while using another party to operate and maintain it.

The target delivery timeframe under consideration is December 2027.

The proposed USV would not be limited to telecom planning.

SUBCO's slides listed cable route surveys alongside marine biology and ecological experiments, giving the asset a wider role than a single network buildout if the purchase proceeds.

A Cable Ship Would Be The Larger Bet

The more expensive decision concerns a submarine cable-laying vessel.

Australia does not currently have such a vessel, and Slattery put the possible cost at about US$165 million, or $236 million, including supporting equipment such as remotely operated vehicles and ploughs used to trench and bury cables.

A new build is the preferred direction because it would be more reliable and more efficient in fuel use, Slattery said.

The operating model would still depend on a trusted partner rather than SUBCO managing every maritime function itself.

Government funding is central to that larger plan.

Slattery said SUBCO would not seek to carry the vessel cost alone and expected the US and Australian governments to contribute, given the role a domestic vessel could play in strengthening subsea-cable resilience.

Repair Arrangements Face A 2030 Shift

The timing matters because existing repair capacity is tied to the South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement, a regional arrangement funded by cable operators.

That pool of covered operators is expected to shrink after 2030 as older systems retire and newer cables are built and run by fewer companies.

That structural change could weaken certainty around repair availability at the same time that Australia is relying on newer international routes.

SUBCO is already building multiple international routes under its APX name, which raises the strategic value of having survey and repair assets closer to the market.

Slattery has set the end of the year as the decision point for whether to buy a cable vessel.

If SUBCO proceeds on that timetable, the vessel could be built and delivered by the end of 2029, putting the asset in place before the regional maintenance landscape changes.