New partnership integrates live monitoring and acoustic sensing with insurance.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, October 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- InterProtect has launched a new subsea cable insurance product that takes the active protection measures deployed on a route into account in its underwriting. Available to cable owners starting today, the cover was debuted alongside partners UltramapGlobal and Lumetec at Submarine Networks World in Singapore on 23 and 24 September.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), approximately 200 subsea cable faults occur annually, with over 80% caused by fishing and anchoring. The ICPC estimates the average repair cost for a telecommunications cable at between £500,000 and £1 million, while power cable repairs can range from £10 million to £100 million.

Most of this damage stems from routine maritime activity. An anchor drops in the wrong location or a trawler passes too close, often without any immediate indication at the seabed. Typically, an owner only discovers the incident once the cable fails entirely.

Governments are increasingly addressing this vulnerability. On 29 May 2026, the UK announced plans to replace the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885, proposing new obligations for owners to prevent, detect, and respond to security compromises.

James Harris, Head of Subsea Cable Underwriting at InterProtect, said: “We are excited to announce this new and exclusive partnership with UltramapGlobal and Lumetec. Combined with our existing work with Red Penguin, it brings risk management, protection and insurance into a single product, a first of its kind. The fear of the unknown becoming known is misplaced. We want to work closely with cable owners to encourage wider adoption of these new technologies allowing us to better support them in reducing risk to their critical assets.”

The new technology featured combines a two-tiered approach:

Live Vessel Monitoring
UltramapGlobal monitors subsea cables from its headquarters in Newcastle upon Tyne. Its AssetMonitor^® software processes over 100 million live AIS (Automatic Identification System) messages daily, tracking the position and movement data broadcast by vessels. Analyst teams across the world provide 24/7 coverage. When a vessel’s behaviour puts a cable at risk, an analyst contacts the ship directly.

“We have watched these routes since 2009, so we know what normal looks like,” said Martin Connelly, Co-Founder and Commercial Director of UltramapGlobal. “That baseline is what lets our teams pick out the vessel that should not be there and speak to it before the cable is damaged.”

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS)
Lumetec approaches the problem from the seabed upward, using AI/ML-powered Distributed Acoustic Sensing to turn a cable’s own fiber into a sensing layer.

“AI-DAS turns the cable into an instrument that reports on itself,” said Zack Spica, CEO of Lumetec. “It reads seabed contact and vessel activity along the route, including craft that are not transmitting AIS data.”

While the offering is collaborative, the three roles remain strictly distinct. UltramapGlobal manages monitoring, analyst review, and vessel response. Lumetec leads on sensing, detection, and localisation. InterProtect exclusively handles insurance cover, underwriting, and terms.

Luke Donovan-King
Forge Together Ltd
+44 7753 228375
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