Interfaces between the submarine cable industry and other seabed users around UK coastal waters

With the escalating use of the seabed by more and more diverse industries, there is a continuing and ever increasing opportunity for conflicts of interest to arise. Incidents occur when two industries wish to use the same space on the seabed or believe that it is in their right to occupy a certain portion of the seabed to the detriment of another seabed user. The main industries to which this relates are:

• Hydrocarbon industry and its wells, pipelines, cables and platforms, and allocated sector blocks yet to be developed

• Telecommunications industry with over 150 years of submarine cables lying on or buried in the seabed

• Fishing industry and its use of ever more sophisticated gear in response to fish stock fluctuations

• Marine aggregates industry and its recovery of seabed material

• Renewable Energy industry and its arrays of wind turbines and cables.

This paper looks at how these industries co-operate, from a viewpoint within the telecommunications industry. It also highlights the lengths that have been taken to ensure that all parties are kept informed in order to reduce potential conflict.