Cable Safety

Fouling a submarine cable can be extremely hazardous to fishing vessels.

Damage to submarine cables is expensive to repair and can cause disruption to power distribution and international telecommunications.

KISCA charts enable you to avoid submarine cables in UK waters, and are free of charge.

If you do foul a cable, make sure you follow the emergency procedures to safeguard your vessel and your crew.

The following sequence of events shows what can happen if a vessel fouls a submarine cable.


First fouling of Cable by fishing gear	Starting to retrieve gear	Submarine cable almost impossible to release
First realisation of fouling a cable	Cable should be lowered to seabed to eliminate danger of capsize