2021 ICPC Plenary: Virtually Held Submarine Cable Event That Connected the Four Corners of the World

Devoted to the safeguarding of submarine telecommunications and power cables, the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) is pleased to announce the success of its first-ever virtual Plenary meeting. In a specially developed website setting designed to host both live and pre-recorded presentations from around the world, the organisation hosted more than 300 delegates and broadcasted over eight hours of live presentations and panel discussions across different time zones from 19-20May 2021.

Under the theme, ‘Beyond the Global Pandemic—The Critical Role of Submarine Cables,’ the 2021 virtual Plenary was an opportunity to hear about emerging topics in the submarine cable industry as well as to provide a venue to learn from hydrographic survey companies, system installers, service providers, cable owners, and marine and environmental researchers. In-line with the ICPC’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the event concluded with a much-anticipated panel on the coordination between the submarine cable industry and deep seabed mining. Panellists included members of the ISA, seabed mining contractors, submarine cable owners and operations, and was moderated by ICPC Vice Chairman, Mr Graham Evans.

When asked about the event, ICPC General Manager Mr Ryan Wopschall commented, "With twelve live presentations over two days and with more than forty presentations from Members and invited speakers, the virtual Plenary meeting out-performed our expectations and was a great success. Although we could not meet in-person this year, the online platform gathered a substantial number of people together from around the world for lively discussion and knowledge sharing about the submarine cable industry’s most pertinent topics. The event was a fantastic touch-point for our industry during these challenging times.”

Also incorporated into the programme, ICPC Members had the opportunity to listen to ‘year in review’ presentations from the organisation’s International Cable Law Adviser, Marine Environmental Adviser and UN Observer Representative as well as hear from Member project experiences, Working Group reports and outreach activities. If you are a non-ICPC Member, and would like to learn more, visit the 2021 Plenary Highlights page to read about the specific topics that were presented. Later this year, the ICPC will be announcing its ‘Call for Papers’ for the 2022 Plenary to be held in-person in Madrid, Spain.

About the ICPC: The ICPC is the world’s premier submarine cable protection organisation. It was formed in 1958 to promote the protection of international submarine cables—the infrastructure of the Internet—against human and natural hazards. It provides a forum for the exchange of technical, legal, and environmental information about submarine cables and engages with stakeholders and governments globally to promote submarine cable protection. The ICPC has over 170 Members from over 60 nations, including cable operators, owners, manufacturers, industry service providers, as well as governments. For further information about the ICPC, see www.iscpc.org and www.linkedin.com/company/icpc-ltd/.

As the voice of the submarine cable community, the ICPC welcomes genuine enquiries regarding international submarine cables, environmental factors affecting the submarine cable community and the activities of the organisation. To the authorities and to seabed users, the ICPC raises awareness of submarine cables as critical infrastructure carrying more than 97% of intercontinental data and addresses the evolution of international treaties and national legislation to help ensure that submarine cables are protected.

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