Shefa-2 cable repairs held up as Cable Vigilance unable to progress work off Orkney amid stormy weather
Strong winds and rough seas are preventing repairs from progressing on the damaged cable, which has left many Shetland households without internet for more than three weeks.
Faroese Telecom confirmed today (Saturday) that the repairs would not take place until Tuesday.
Although the repair vessel Cable Vigilance is now at the site of the Shefa-2 cable break, off Orkney, the weather has “shifted”.
“Strong winds and long swell are currently preventing further work,” said managing director Páll Højgaard Vesturbú.
Previous estimates had indicated the cable repair could have been completed today (Saturday) but the prospect of rough weather knocked that back to Sunday evening.
The earliest people can hope for now is Tuesday.
“Depending on weather and sea conditions, full restoration of the cable connection is expected by Tuesday evening,” said Mr Vesturbú.
The cable was damaged on Friday, 3rd October, due to stormy seas during Storm Amy.
It was the second time in less than three months that the cable has been damaged, causing widespread disruption.
The latest damage has proved more complicated to repair, due to it being close to the shore, which requires additional preparations on land to be carried out before the offshore operations can begin.
Those works were under way yesterday at the new cable landing site in the Isle of Cara, Orkney.
Isles politicians Alistair Carmichael and Beatrice Wishart have planned a telecommunications resilience summit on Friday, 21st November.
Key players including both the UK and Scottish governments have been asked to attend, along with various internet service providers, Faroese Telecom and Ofcom.