Submarine Cable Repair Capacities – Pilot Works

Expected Impact:The expected benefits of the supported project:- Provide quick response to emergency situations identified by the relevant Regional Cable Hub or other entity declaring the emergency situation (Key Performance Indicator).- Provide quick average estimated time-to-repair for the cable systems in the Baltic (Key Performance Indicator).- Increase operational repair capacity in the Baltic (Key performance Indicator).- Strengthen the resilience of cable systems in the Baltic Sea area.- Ensure digital sovereignty and strategic autonomy of the EU in the area.Objective:This call aims to enhance emergency response capacities and the resilience of backbone networks’ infrastructures by supporting the development and deployment of adaptable repair modules for swift emergency repair operations, enabling quick response to incidents that could severely impact the Union or its Member States.While the goal of the EU is to fund modules covering the main sea basins of the Union, this pilot call focuses on the Baltic Sea where a high number of either accidental or deliberate incidents affecting submarine cables and pipelines were registered during the period 2023-2025. A second call, open to other sea basins, is foreseen towards the second half of 2026.The objective is to develop adaptable repair modules that can be deployed on existing vessels, as well as the necessary related operational capabilities.The modules are expected to be rapidly operational in order to re-establish the service of submarine cables (through repair or substitution) in emergency situations, i.e. where the cut or the failure of the cable can cause a severe damage to one or more Member States, and the service disruption cannot be fixed timely by commercial services. Applicants will have to work in coordination with the authorities declaring the emergency situation, which are expected to be the future Regional Cable Hubs.The modules would be hosted in ports or shipyards with the capacity to install t