Vessel off Joss Bay at work on cross-Channel cable break

Responder at work Photo Mark Stanford

A large vessel off Joss Bay is working on a break in a cross Channel cable that comes ashore at the Broadstairs beach.

Responder is a Cable Layer that was built in 2001 and is sailing under the flag of Marshall Is.

Its carrying capacity is 10144 t DWT and her current draught is reported to be 7 meters. Her length overall  is 139.15 meters and her width is 21 meters.

Photo Mark Stanford

She is at work on the South BT North Sea submarine cable system. The sytem  comprises 2 individually distinct branches, North and South. The North branch (Iceni) connects Eastern England (Winterton-on-Sea) to the Netherlands (Callantsoog).

The Southern branch (Mercator) connect South East England (Broadstairs – Joss Bay) to Belgium (Oostende).

The BT North Sea cable system increases telecommunication reliability and diversity between the regions and increases data transmission capacity and speeds.

BT North Sea cable system is privately owned by BT, supplied by SubCom.

18 Comments

    • of course free speech is only allowed on non controversial subjects…(this being a controversial reply will, controversially, be removed ?

      • You have free speech on any platform that you are responsible for. I am responsible for, and pay for, this one and comments will be moderated if they cross into any type of hate speech. This platform is to provide news, the comment function is extra.

      • I would imagine there has been enough hate speech here on the subject of asylum seekers. I have read enough of those who have no empathy and simply hate them. It is quite depressing to know that Thanet has such a lack of empathy to anyone who does not fit in with society that exists here. I find Thanet a cold and unwelcoming place most of the time. A bit of common sense is required maybe but that seems lacking here as well.

      • No Phyliss, printing hate speech is illegal, and could lead to an arrest, so all those nasty ill informed, ignorant, racist numpties out there, get a life, you pathetic low lives, who are full of self loathing and only want to try and make other people as sad as you are!

      • No Phyliss, printing hate speech is illegal, and could lead to an arrest, so all those nasty ill informed, ignorant, racist numpties out there, get a life, you pathetic low lives, who are full of self loathing and only want to try and make other people as sad as you are! This is not a duplicate comment, but if it is, its worth repeating!

  1. Free speech does not mean taking liberties. Free speech does not allow someone to shout fire, falsely, in a theatre with the aim of causing distress and alarm. Free speech is always moderated with respect for others.
    Those who grandstand or counsel others to do anti social actions, are not upholders of free speech, they are rabble rousers.
    I know that some in Thanet would like to say unpleasant things about the other, be they people of a different colour ,creed or class.
    The self righteous always want free speech, except when it applies to them, by opening up their actions to scrutiny and investigation. Part of the fake news, trolling behaviour, stems from this mindset, and is most useful to those who seek to undermine this country by peddling falsehoods and deceptions.
    Kathy Bailes is quite correct to act as editor on her own website.You know the rules abide by them!

  2. Perhaps we might use our right to Free Speech to discuss why this vessel flies the flag of the Marshall Islands. The last time I looked, the Marshall Islands were in the Pacific Ocean. Might we discuss why a boat operating for a huge European company needs to register in one of the smallest and poorest countries on earth, thousands of miles away from where the boat actually works.

    • Companies fly flags of convenience and cheaper cost quite deliberately. Its very simple. Register your ship somewhere cheap and crew it with cheap labour and then operate anywhere in the world. Countries that allow this type of registration are usually islands that need money to survive and don’t care about who is employed or what they are paid. P&O are just one of many as well. By being registered this way it gets around paying a countries minimum wage, example if registered in the UK it would have to pay our minimum wage to its workers. You will probably find that the Marshall Islands have either a much lower minimum or none at all.

  3. I am most grateful for this site it’s far far better than the KM site.
    On this site one gives their opinion and others respond mostly in a fair and appropriate manner. On the KM site they have red and green arrows so bullies can trash anyone with the red arrows or praise themselves by pressing the green arrows.

    • I totally agree, I think Kathy Bailes does an excellent job.

      Unfortunately you still get the odd prat that still wants to moan and criticise her reporting.

  4. Marva, you have a knack of saying the opposite to everyone else you would only need the red arrows to keep you amused.

  5. The arrows are there to allow people to give their opinion very quickly. What is amusing about it?

  6. What Kathy says. I think we are very fortunate having this local news site. There are other sites that are far too click baity. That is off putting. I agree with Ann.

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