A pair of subsea cable vessels – one commissioned by China and another by the Keppel-owned Global Marine Group – will debut in 2026 and 2029, respectively.

China’s Tianyi Linghangzhe was set to enter service this month, as the country’s first domestically designed and built cable laying vessel, according to state broadcaster CCTV News.

The vessel, which is designed for all purposes including laying and repairs, was commissioned by China Telecom and the CSCC, a Chinese subsea cable company.

It can carry up to 8,000 tonnes of submarine communication cable.

Global Marine Group commissions vessel for Q4 2029 delivery

Global Marine Group announced yesterday that it had commissioned a vessel designed specifically for cable repairs at the Colombo Dockyard in Sri Lanka, with delivery scheduled for Q4 2029.

The vessel’s specifications were not provided.

The company currently has six vessels – C.S. Clipper, C.S. Recorder, Cable Innovator, Cable Retriever, C.S. Sovereign, and Wave Sentinel – and several subsea trenching vehicles.

Singapore's Keppel bought Global Marine Group from J.F. Lehman and Company back in March 2025. Global Marine Group is headquartered in the UK.

Cable ships are few and far between. According to the ISCPC, there are around 60 cable ships in operation, many of which are more than 30 years old. With more than 400 subsea cables running globally and demand increasing, a limited supply of vessels can delay new projects and slow repairs.

In recent years, however, new ships have been commissioned by the likes of Orange and OMS.