Chinese Survey Ship used by Google in French Polynesia for South Pacific Cable Survey works
Summary
1. Google is undertaking major undersea cable projects in the South Pacific, including:
- The South Pacific Connect initiative connecting Fiji and French Polynesia to the US and Australia
- The Central Pacific Connect initiative linking Guam with Fiji and French Polynesia
- The Humboldt Cable project connecting Chile, French Polynesia, and Australia
2. A Google vessel (identified as the Yuan Wang 3) has arrived in French Polynesia to survey the ocean floor for cable routes. This ship is described as closely tied to the Chinese PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy).
3. The use of this Chinese maritime asset by Google for surveying key cable routes potentially gives the Chinese Navy inside knowledge of cable routing in the Indo-Pacific region.
4. This information could enhance the PLAN's capability to threaten this critical undersea infrastructure in the future.
5. The Yuan Wang 3 is described as a Chinese space-tracking ship that has undertaken numerous maritime tracking and monitoring tasks for Chinese spacecraft and satellites.
6. These undersea cable projects are set to significantly increase bandwidth and connectivity in the Pacific region, with French Polynesia potentially becoming a strategic hub.
7. The involvement of a vessel with ties to the Chinese military in surveying routes for critical communications infrastructure raises potential security concerns, given the strategic importance of these undersea cables for global internet and economic activity.
This situation highlights the complex interplay between commercial telecommunications development and national security considerations in the Indo-Pacific region.
YUAN WANG 3 (IMO: 8887935) is a Research/Survey Vessel and is sailing under the flag of China. Her length overall (LOA) is 179.92 meters and her width is 22.2 meters.Commissioned on May 18, 1995, Yuanwang-3 is a second-generation Chinese space-tracking ship. It has undertaken more than 90 maritime tracking and monitoring tasks for spacecraft, including the Shenzhou spaceships, Chang'e lunar probes and BeiDou satellites.
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| Map of Indo Pacific Commercial Undersea Telecommunications Cables Source: TeleGeography, Submarine Cable Map, 2024, https://www.submarinecablemap.com/. |
- Undersea cables carry about 99% of international digital communications and are critical infrastructure for the global internet and economy.
- There are about 486 active undersea cable systems connecting all continents except Antarctica.
- Major threats to cables include unintentional damage from fishing/anchoring, natural disasters, and potential intentional attacks or tapping by adversaries.
- The U.S. government has taken steps to protect cables, including:
- Reviewing foreign ownership of cables landing in the U.S.
- Restricting use of equipment from untrusted vendors like Huawei
- Encouraging investment in trusted cables/equipment
- Enhancing security reviews of cable applications
- Monitoring cable outages
- Investing in cable repair ships
- Key issues for Congress include:
- Determining the appropriate role for government in protecting private cable infrastructure
- Potential restrictions on cables connecting to adversary nations
- Strengthening security requirements for cables
- Addressing risks from commercial activities like fishing
- Balancing security concerns with economic/connectivity benefits of cables
The report suggests Congress may consider policies to improve coordination between government and industry on cable security, while weighing tradeoffs between security and global connectivity.
Google Ship in French Polynesia for South Pacific Cable works
Picture: LITIA RITOVA
Yuan Wang 3 at Suva port. Current Track
A GOOGLE vessel has arrived in French Polynesia to prepare the layout of five undersea data cables, as part of a major project.
According to RNZ French Pacic Desk correspondent, Patrick Decloitre, the first step is for the Google ship to study the ocean's bottom and plot the best possible route, while taking into account environmental factors.
Mr Decloitre said the multi-million dollar project was also unanimously endorsed by French Polynesia's Territorial
Assembly this week.
French Polynesia's Moetai Brotherson said the Google vessel's First mission was to survey the ocean floor to "determine the right path to lay out those cables".
Brotherson said French Polynesia was chosen for the Google project because "we have quite a unique location right at the centre of the South PaciƝc Ocean, so this makes French Polynesia an ideal destination for this type of project."
He said since the strategic project was made public in February this year, he was approached by several large companies who are interested in launching digital based ventures in French Polynesia.
The layout of those Five cables, he said would multiply by 50 French Polynesia's present bandwidth, but also make French Polynesia a highly strategic hub for all of the Pacic.
Meanwhile, in June 2023, Fiji's Minister for Trade, Co-Operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises, Manoa Kamikamica, said work had commenced on the Google project in Fiji and that the submarine cable network initiative would be beneƝcial to Fiji’s ICT and business process outsourcing sectors.
Mr Kamikamica said investments in connectivity were crucial for the continued growth and efficiency of the outsourcing sector, adding that the work on the installation of the cables was in progress and this would enhance Fiji’s connectivity to other countries.
“Right now, Google is already building the cables from America to come through Fiji. I think early next year they’re going to land in Fiji. So we’re not allowed to say where the location is, but it’ll be somewhere in the west. So what that means is that Fiji will have more than one connection into the country,” he said.
”This collaborative effort with Google will mark a signiƝcant step in the advancement of digital infrastructure in the Pacific region."
Google ship arrives in French Polynesia to survey cable routes - Developing Telecoms
- 15 July 2024 1526
A Google ship reportedly arrived in French Polynesia on Friday to start survey work on five planned subsea cable projects that will connect various Pacific islands with Chile and Australia.
According to Radio New Zealand, the ship will study the ocean floor and plot the best possible route for the cables, while taking into account environmental factors.
In October 2023, Google Cloud announced its South Pacific Connect initiative, which aims to build two transpacific subsea cables connecting Fiji and French Polynesia to the US and Australia. For that project, the Honomoana cable will connect the US and Australia to French Polynesia, while the Tabua cable will connect the US and Australia to Fiji.
In January this year, Google Cloud followed up with the Central Pacific Connect subsea cable initiative, which comprises the Bulikula cable, which will connect Guam with Fiji, and the Halaihai cable, which will link Guam and French Polynesia.
The same month, Google Cloud officially joined the Humboldt Cable project to connect Chile directly with the Asia-Pacific region, and added French Polynesia as a midway landing point for the cable.
French Polynesia president Moetai Brotherson told RNZ that French Polynesia was chosen for the Google projects because "we have quite a unique location right at the centre of the South Pacific Ocean, so this makes French Polynesia an ideal destination for this type of project."
He also said the five cables will multiply French Polynesia's present bandwidth 50 times, and make it a “highly strategic hub for all of the Pacific”.
RNZ reports that the cable projects were officially endorsed by French Polynesia's Territorial Assembly last week.
The South Pacific Connect initiative is backed by Google, Office of Posts and Telecommunications of French Polynesia (OPT), Fiji International Telecommunications, APTelecom and Vocus Group. OPT is also Google’s partner for the Humboldt landing point in French Polynesia.
The Central Pacific Connect initiative is backed by Google, Amalgamated Telecom Holdings (ATH), APTelecom and Telstra.
Google to build two subsea cables for Fiji and French Polynesia
Google Cloud has revealed plans to build two new transpacific subsea cables for the South Pacific connecting Fiji and French Polynesia to the United States and Australia.
Billed as the South Pacific Connect initiative, the project aims to increase reliability and resilience of digital connectivity in the Pacific Islands.
One cable, ‘Honomoana’, will connect the US and Australia to French Polynesia. The second cable, ‘Tabua’, will connect the US and Australia to Fiji.
The South Pacific Connect initiative will also construct physically diverse cable landing stations in Fiji and French Polynesia and connect them with an interlink cable. That cable serves to connect transpacific routes, improve reliability, add capacity, and reduce latency for users in the Pacific Islands and globally.
“The South Pacific Connect initiative will create a ring between Australia, Fiji and French Polynesia,” said Brian Quigley, VP of global network infrastructure at Google Cloud in a blog post. “This ring will include pre-positioned branching units that will allow other countries and territories of Oceania to take advantage of the reliability and resilience resulting from the initiative.”
Google Cloud is building the cables in collaboration with In collaboration with Fiji International Telecommunications, Office of Posts and Telecommunications of French Polynesia, APTelecom and Vocus Group.
No timeline for the initiative has been announced yet.
Google vessel in French Polynesia to prepare layout of five undersea cables
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Google trans-Pacific cables French Polynesia-Fiji-Guam-Australia. Photo: Brian Quigley
A Google vessel has arrived in French Polynesia to prepare the layout of five undersea data cables, as part of a major project.
The first step is for the Google ship to study the ocean's bottom and plot the best possible route, while taking into account environmental factors.
The multi-million-dollar project was also unanimously endorsed by French Polynesia's Territorial Assembly this week.
French Polynesia's Moetai Brotherson said the Google vessel's first mission was to survey the ocean floor to "determine the right path to lay out those cables."
He said French Polynesia was chosen for the Google project because "we have quite a unique location right at the centre of the South Pacific Ocean, so this makes French Polynesia an ideal destination for this type of project."
He said since the strategic project was made public in February this year, he was approached by several large companies who are interested in launching digital-based ventures in French Polynesia.
The layout of those five cables, he said, will multiply by 50 French Polynesia's present bandwidth but also make French Polynesia a highly strategic hub for all of the Pacific.
French Polynesia’s President Moetai Brotherson on board Google survey ship inspects survey equipment. Photo: Présidence de la Polynésie française
Humboldt route to connect Chile, French Polynesia, and Australia
Today, we’re joining Desarrollo País of Chile and Office of Posts and Telecommunications of French Polynesia (OPT) to announce Humboldt, a subsea cable route linking Chile, French Polynesia, and Australia — the first ever to directly connect South America and Asia-Pacific. When operational, Humboldt will strengthen the reliability and resilience of digital connectivity across the Pacific by interconnecting the cables that comprise the South Pacific Connect initiative and adding geographically diverse cable investments that link French Polynesia and Chile.
A
direct fiber optic network link between South America and the
Asia-Pacific region has been an ambition of the Chilean government since
2016, and we’re partnering to turn this vision into reality.
"Chile is a country that is at the forefront of technology and is a leader in the implementation of the latest generation networks. As a Government, we are working day by day to consolidate this position and create the conditions for new investments of this kind to continue to arrive. The interest of companies like Google shows that Chile is doing things right. The country is leveraging its potential to generate the growth that will help us improve the well-being and quality of life of the people. These are projects that create employment and later, when they become a reality, improve the working conditions of thousands of people, in addition to placing Chile as a leader in the region and strengthening its position as the gateway from South America to the digital world." - Juan Carlos Muñoz, Transportation and Telecommunications Minister of Chile
“Australia welcomes this new trans-Pacific cable connecting Australia and Latin America for the first time, supporting the growth of digital and economic ties. This new cable route will enhance Australia’s global connectivity and complement our work with Pacific countries to secure better access to the global digital economy.” - Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications of Australia
"Economic vitality in my country relies on investments in the digital sector. We are thrilled to collaborate on the Humboldt project to continue advancing French Polynesia’s digital economy and keep Tahiti on the cutting edge of innovation." - President Moetai Brotherson of French Polynesia
The Humboldt project is a reflection of our longstanding commitment to Chile and is the latest in a series of existing digital infrastructure investments in the country and across Latin America. Accelerating Chile’s robust digital transformation strategy, Humboldt will join other infrastructure projects, including the Google data center in Quilicura in powering Google services, the Google Cloud region in Santiago supporting customers across Latin America, the cross-Andes terrestrial connectivity between Chile and Argentina, and the Curie subsea cable linking Chile, Panama, and the West Coast of the United States.
By improving international connectivity, subsea cables help drive economic growth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and job creation. Greater network capacity and lower latency enables businesses and public sector organizations to deliver better digital experiences to their customers and constituents, and people can gain skills and knowledge that open new career paths. Analysys Mason estimates that Google’s previous submarine cable deployments in Latin America and the Caribbean region (LAC) will lead to a cumulative increase in GDP of 178 billion USD between 2017 and 2027 and support the creation of around 740,000 additional jobs by 2027.
“This marks a significant milestone for the flagship project, the Humboldt submarine cable. After years of dedicated work, we are now entering the materialization phase. Google, our esteemed international partner, ensures that these works will adhere to the highest technical standards. Our goal is to position Chile as a global digital hub, seamlessly connecting countries in the region with the Asia-Pacific. This achievement underscores the instrumental role of Desarrollo País' public-private partnership model in fostering Chile's growth.” - Patricio Rey Sommer, General Manager of Desarrollo País
The Humboldt cable is named for Alexander von Humboldt, a German polymath, geographer, naturalist and explorer who traveled extensively to the Americas at the turn of the 19th century. The moniker was selected by Chilean residents, who voted via social media in a naming contest organized by Desarrollo País and Chile’s Undersecretary of Telecommunications (Subtel). Chileans already share a special connection to the Humboldt project, and we’re excited to work with partners to bring it to life.
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