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The cable ship plays the main role in the installation and maintenance of submarine cables. The fundamental conditions to ensure the high quality of a submarine cable are to make use of an excellent cable ship and outstanding cable engineers.
KCS operates two cable ships incorporating the newest equipment, which forms a system that enables cost competitive installation and emergency repair of submarine cables.
The cable ships operated by KCS embody the newest and most advanced technology. For example, it is essential for a cable ship to accurately trace its proposed route. Thanks to their Dynamic Positioning System, the ships in KCS' fleet can sail within an accuracy of plus or minus 4 meters.
Two ships have capacity of over 4,000 kilometers of cable in a single voyage. As this length is roughly one-half the distance between Tokyo and San Francisco, a ship is able to link Japan and the U.S. in just two voyages, enabling a significant reduction in installation costs. When the cable is laid, adjustments of the cable slack are made in terms of the topography of the ocean floor and depth, as well as the speed of the ship. In this manner, the cable is laid on the ocean floor without any suspension, enhancing its safety and reliability.
Operating two ships stationed in the optimal locations in the east and west areas of Japan, KCS is ready to respond rapidly when repairs are required. The KDD Ocean Link, one of them, is the only cable ship working full-time throughout the year for cable maintenance in the Yokohama zone. This ship maintains a day-to-day state of readiness, and is on standby to sail out within 24-hours. |
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