EuroWire January 2016

News Corporate

Shipping and fishing are the cable culprits

The latest analysis, covering 2007 to 2014, recorded no cable faults attributable to sharks. Due to increased shipping and fishing activities on the continental shelf, fibre optic cables are now protected by the addition of steel wire armour, as well as burial up to 3m below the seabed. International Cable Protection Committee – UK Website : www.iscpc.org

in 1988 – around 11 cables needed repair. Fish bites accounted for 0.5 per cent of all cable faults. The first recorded shark bites of a deep ocean fibre optic cable occurred off the Canary Islands around 1985 to 1987, damaged by crocodile sharks (Pseudocarcharias kamoharai) biting through a cable’s polyethylene sheath. This led to improvements in sheathing technology.

The protection committee (ICPC) has released an analysis of the main causes of submarine cable breaks. According to the ICPC, ships’ anchoring and fishing activities are the main cause of cable failure, accounting for 65–75 per cent of all cable faults. Natural phenomena, such as subsea landslides and ocean currents, are responsible for up to 10 per cent of faults, while cable component failure accounts for a further five per cent. The cause of around 10-20 per cent of faults cannot be determined, but the ICPC says it is unlikely to be sharks because bites leave evidence in the form of tooth imprints, or even teeth, embedded in the sheathing. Historically, between 1901 and 1957 – a period dominated by subsea telegraphic cables – at least 28 cables were damaged by fish bites, including sharks. During 1959 to 2006 – a span that encompasses coaxial cables, and their replacement by fibre optic systems international cable Altair has acquired Click2Cast, including an office in Barcelona, Spain, as well as the company’s technology and employees. The addition of Click2Cast technology adds simple and quick casting simulation technology to the Altair suite of products. Having practical applications in both design and engineering, Click2Cast software will be made available through Altair’s solidThinking and HyperWorks business lines. The technology has been available through the Altair Partner Alliance to HyperWorks users since 2013. Click2Cast offers an easy casting process simulation, within an innovative and user-friendly interface. The software requires no special training and does not require the user to have an extensive technical background. It is a very effective and powerful design tool, with possible applications in a wide variety of industries. “We are very excited to further our relationship and make Click2Cast part of Altair’s software offering,” said Martin Solina, general manager of Click2Cast. Altair acquires Click2Cast

Altair – USA Website : www.altair.com

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January 2016