Future Royal Navy ship to be used for subsea cable protection

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has unveiled plans to acquire a new purpose-built vessel to be used by the Royal Navy for monitoring and protecting undersea cables in UK and international waters.

The Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship will have space for 15 crewmembers, advanced sensors, and facilities for deploying and recovering remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The unmanned vehicles will significantly expand the ship’s ability to protect undersea cables, which Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has remarked as “vital to the global economy and communications between governments.”

The new surveillance vessel is expected to be operational in 2024.