Cable Laying in Cascadia Basin with Ocean Networks Canada

During our NA161 expedition, Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) is partnering with Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) for the eighth year to explore and perform maintenance on its major offshore cabled NEPTUNE ocean observatory: a seafloor cable loop that powers and connects thousands of scientific sensors. One of the expedition’s top priorities is installing a secondary cable to replace a compromised cable at ONC’s deepest site: Cascadia Basin. 

To lay this new cable, we must call in another vessel: the Cable Ship Cable Innovator, operated by Global Marine. Due to the extremely precise placement required for this cable lay, E/V Nautilus and ROV Hercules help monitor the placement of each end of the cable. These dual-ship operations require a high amount of coordination and precision. 

Thanks to the patience and hard work of the ONC and OET Corps of Exploration, the NEPTUNE Observatory stays updated and ready to provide critical data on earthquakes, seafloor surveys, and deep sea diversity.