Question

To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) repair vessels for communication cables, and (2) repair crew for communication cables, are based in the UK.

Owners of subsea telecoms cables manage repair and maintenance through membership of commercial cable maintenance agreements. There are currently six cable repair vessels servicing the maintenance agreements in the Atlantic and Northern Europe, one of which is based in the UK (information collected via DSIT Request for Information April 2026). Government does not routinely hold information on the crewing of cable vessels, which varies by vessel and commercial operator. There is a privately owned UK-based facility that trains subsea cable repair technicians.

The Government recognises the importance of a UK-based and UK-flagged subsea telecoms cable repair vessel. DCMS is exploring options for securing this capability in the long term.