ASEAN Restorer Likely to Repair Snag in Car Nicobar-Kamorta Segment of CANI Submarine

By NicoBar Times
October 13, 2025

The repair of the crucial Car Nicobar–Kamorta segment of the Chennai–Andaman and Nicobar Islands (CANI) Submarine Optical Fibre Cable System appears set to begin soon, with strong indications that the Singapore-registered cable repair ship ASEAN Restorer has been deployed for the task.

Nicobar Times has been tracking the ASEAN Restorer for the last two days. The vessel was earlier positioned at the Chennai Anchorage but, since the morning hours of 12th October, its status has changed to “moored” at Chennai Port. As of 1:24 AM on 13th October, the ship remains moored at Chennai Port, according to terrestrial AIS data available on open web platforms. Reliable sources have informed Nicobar Times that ASEAN Restorer has been mobilized to undertake repair work on the CANI cable fault in Car Nicobar-Kamorta Segment that has disrupted connectivity in Nancowry and Great Nicobar since 20th September 2025. The sources further indicated that certain customs-related formalities are being completed at Chennai before the vessel departs for the islands to carry out the undersea repairs.

Although no official confirmation has yet been issued naming the vessel, circumstantial evidence points strongly to ASEAN Restorer’s involvement. The ship is operated by ASEAN Cableship Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based contractor that provides cable maintenance services under the South East Asia Indian Ocean Cable Maintenance Agreement (SEAIOCMA) — a cooperative maintenance framework covering submarine cable systems across the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

SEAIOCMA is a consortium of about 45 cable owners and operators that coordinates emergency repairs for submarine cable faults across a vast area extending from Djibouti to Guam and from Taiwan to Perth. When faults occur, SEAIOCMA dispatches contracted repair vessels positioned at strategic ports for rapid deployment. In the Indian Ocean region, the contracted maintenance partners include the UK’s Global Marine Group and Singapore’s ASEAN Cableship Pte Ltd, which operates a fleet of specialised vessels—ASEAN Restorer, ASEAN Explorer, ASEAN Protector, and ASEAN Challenger.

The ASEAN Restorer is among the region’s most advanced undersea repair ships, equipped with remotely operated grapnels, precision cable splicing systems, and deep-sea testing equipment that allows round-the-clock operations. Its current presence at Chennai Port coincides with the urgent requirement to restore the CANI system’s Car Nicobar-Kamorta Segment, lending further weight to reports of its deployment.

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