International Cable Protection Committee

Under the theme ‘Submarine Cable Resilience—Back to Basics,’ the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) is delighted to announce the 2023 ICPC ‘Call for Papers’ has been officially issued for the forthcoming Plenary that will take place in-person after three years in a virtual setting. ICPC now seeks presentation abstracts from ICPC Member and non-Member organisations including the cable industry, academics, and the science and legal communities.

This year’s annual Plenary will take place in Madrid, Spain from 18th – 20th April 2023. Current ICPC Members, guest observers, invited speakers, and exhibitors from around the world will gather under one roof for three days to listen, learn, and discuss from a diverse set of topics about the vital importance of submarine power and fibre optic cables and their protection worldwide. If interested in presenting at the event, please submit your abstract by 13th January 2023, Wednesday, 25th January. via the following link where you will also find a detailed ‘Call for Papers’ document which includes suggested presentation topics.

Ahead of the event, ICPC General Manager Mr Ryan Wopschall commented: ‘It has been a long road to get back to this point, but we are doing it—we will be in-person in Madrid in 2023! The Plenary has always been such a valuable venue for discussing the protection of submarine cables. If anything, the pandemic has showed us how vital this infrastructure is, and for that reason we have themed the event around the concept of resilience. As an organisation, we are also resilient, as is the submarine cable industry. Through the pandemic, the ICPC has taken initiatives to sponsor numerous research projects for the benefit of its members, we have maintained our relationships with our affiliate organisations, and our membership has grown to record levels allowing new relationships to be formed. On behalf of the ICPC, we look forward to meeting with new and veteran members, guest and invited speakers, and to rekindle the cornerstone of the ICPC—the annual Plenary.’

About the Plenary. The Plenary will offer participants the opportunities to enhance their industry knowledge by networking with colleagues and customers as well as meeting with exhibitors who will be showcasing their products and services. Delegates will find an agenda full of pertinent presentations, round table debates and interviews.

The ICPC is pleased to announce that after three years, we are returning back to an in-person Plenary for 2023. This much awaited-for-event will be held at the NOVOTEL Madrid Center in Madrid, Spain from 18th - 20th April 2023.

Under the theme, ‘Submarine Cable Resilience—Back to Basics,’ the ICPC now seeks presentation abstracts that address the foundational aspects of cable protection, forming the basis of resilient cable infrastructure. The Abstract deadline date is Friday, 13 January 2023 Wednesday, 25th January and you may submit your abstract here.

Hosted by the Indonesian Naval Hydro-Oceanography Center (Pushidrosal), the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) held its Hydrographic Services and Standards Committee Meeting (HSSC-14) from 16-19 May 2022 in Bali where the chairman of the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), (Mr Graham Evans), was presented with a token of appreciation by the Indonesian Chief Hydrographer Vice Admiral Nurhidayat. The personalised plaque was granted to ICPC due to its support and advice related to submarine cable route planning, installation, and maintenance best practices. On behalf of the global organisation that is dedicated to the sharing of information for the common interest of all seabed users, the plaque was graciously accepted by the ICPC.

ICPC advice and support had been provided at the request of Pushidrosal by way of an informative workshop that was led by Mr Evans from EGS Survey Group, and supported by Ms Geraldine Le Meur from SubCom, that was virtually-held on 4 March 2022. The workshop focused on enquiries raised by Pushidrosal and Indonesian Government stakeholders that were related to submarine cable industry best practices for both telecommunications and power cables within the context of both Indonesia’s development of submarine cable infrastructure to support the developing digital economy across the vast Indonesian Archipelago. How best practices aligned with the importance of Indonesian Marine Spatial Planning objectives were also discussed.

Earlier this year, the ICPC published ‘Government Best Practices for Protecting and Promoting Resilience of Submarine Telecommunications Cables' to assist governments in developing laws, policies, and practices to foster the development and protection of submarine telecommunications cables, the infrastructure of the internet. The full document may be found here.