After a delay in Fiji due to a propeller issue, the cable-laying ship CS Lodbrog is set to arrive in Tonga on Tuesday, August 6 according to Tonga Cable CEO, Semisi Panuve. The ship was held in Fiji for over a week as a component for the right-hand propeller was shipped in and replaced.
Telephone and internet services to Vava’u and Ha’apai have been disrupted for over a month following a submarine cable blackout caused by an earthquake on June 29. CEO Panuve said that the ship will head directly to the cable sites upon arrival.
The repair, initially expected to be completed in July, is now set for mid-August. “The repair is scheduled to be complete on August 15, depending on the extent of the damage,” said Panuve. Further delays could occur if the damage exceeds 50 kilometers.
Past similar operations by CS Lodbrog include repairs following the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption in 2022, which lasted 8 days. Once the repair work is done, local network operators providing telecommunication services to these islands can resume normal services by diverting it’s backhaul services from satellite to the submarine cable.
CS Lodbrog is owned by Alcatel Submarine Network and Optic Marine.