SUBCO Weighs Australian Cable Ship and Survey USV

Ry Crozier, iTnews
October 7, 2026

SUBCO is evaluating two prospective additions to Australia’s subsea infrastructure capabilities: an uncrewed surface vessel for cable-route surveys and a dedicated cable-laying ship. Founder and co-CEO Bevan Slattery outlined the concepts at the AusNOG conference in Brisbane, according to iTnews. Neither asset has been ordered, and the company is still assessing whether to proceed.

The smaller proposal is a survey USV that SUBCO could own or control under a lease while using a specialist operator for maintenance and day-to-day operations. A December 2027 delivery target is being considered. SUBCO’s presentation indicated that the vessel could support route surveys for submarine cable projects, alongside marine biology and ecological work, giving the company access to survey capacity when project schedules require it.

The larger proposal is a new cable-laying vessel that could cost about US$165 million, including remotely operated vehicles and ploughs for trenching and burying cable. Slattery said he would prefer a newbuild for reliability and fuel efficiency and would want a trusted partner to operate it. SUBCO does not expect to carry the cost alone and would seek contributions from the United States and Australian governments, but no public funding commitment has been announced.

For the regional industry, the concept addresses both installation capacity and long-term repair resilience. Australia does not currently have its own dedicated cable-laying vessel, while existing operators rely on the South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement for regional repairs. Slattery warned that the mix of systems and operators supporting that arrangement may shrink after 2030 as older cables retire and newer networks are concentrated among fewer owners. A locally based vessel could provide more certainty for laying and repair availability as SUBCO advances multiple international routes under its APX program.

The next confirmed decision point is the end of 2026, when Slattery said he expects to decide whether to buy the cable ship. If SUBCO proceeds on that timetable, a new vessel could be built and delivered by the end of 2029. The survey USV remains on a separate, earlier potential schedule. Until purchase, operating, and funding decisions are completed, both initiatives should be treated as capacity plans under evaluation rather than committed fleet additions.

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