InterProtect ties cable insurance to active route protection

InterProtect has launched a subsea cable insurance product that factors in live monitoring and acoustic sensing, debuting the cover with UltramapGlobal and Lumetec in Singapore. The move aims to cut losses from fishing and anchoring damage, which account for most subsea cable faults and costly repairs worldwide.

Why it matters: - The new product links underwriting to active route protection, not just post-loss repair. - Subsea cable damage is often caused by routine maritime activity, which can go undetected until a cable fails. - The insurance model could push wider use of monitoring and sensing tools that help owners reduce risk to critical infrastructure.

What happened: - InterProtect launched a new subsea cable insurance product that takes active protection measures on a route into account. - The cover is available to cable owners starting today. - InterProtect debuted the product with UltramapGlobal and Lumetec at Submarine Networks World in Singapore on 23 and 24 September. - The launch follows InterProtect's existing work with Red Penguin.

The details: - The International Telecommunication Union and the International Cable Protection Committee estimate about 200 subsea cable faults a year. - More than 80% of those faults are caused by fishing and anchoring. - The ICPC estimates average repair costs at £500,000 to £1 million for a telecommunications cable. - Power cable repairs can range from £10 million to £100 million. - The UK announced plans on 29 May 2026 to replace the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885 and add new obligations for owners to prevent, detect and respond to security compromises. - James Harris, Head of Subsea Cable Underwriting at InterProtect, called the product a first of its kind and said the company wants to work closely with cable owners to encourage wider adoption of the technologies. - UltramapGlobal's AssetMonitor® software processes more than 100 million live AIS messages daily. - UltramapGlobal tracks vessel position and movement data from its headquarters in Newcastle upon Tyne and uses analyst teams around the world for 24/7 coverage. - When vessel behavior puts a cable at risk, an analyst contacts the ship directly. - Martin Connelly, co-founder and commercial director of UltramapGlobal, said the company has watched these routes since 2009 and uses that baseline to spot vessels that should not be there. - Lumetec uses AI/ML-powered Distributed Acoustic Sensing to turn a cable's fiber into a sensing layer. - Zack Spica, CEO of Lumetec, said AI-DAS can read seabed contact and vessel activity along the route, including craft that are not transmitting AIS data. - UltramapGlobal handles monitoring, analyst review and vessel response. - Lumetec leads sensing, detection and localisation. - InterProtect exclusively handles insurance cover, underwriting and terms.

Between the lines: - The product reflects a shift from reacting to cable failures toward pricing in prevention and early intervention. - The combination of AIS-based monitoring and seabed acoustic sensing closes a gap left by vessels that do not broadcast location data. - The UK policy move suggests regulators are also moving toward clearer security and resilience expectations for cable owners.

What's next: - InterProtect is likely to seek broader adoption among cable owners as the market tests whether active protection can lower losses and improve terms. - The new insurance structure may encourage more operators to pair route monitoring with sensing technologies before damage occurs.

The bottom line: - InterProtect is turning subsea cable protection into an insurance input, not just an operational add-on.