First-ever transatlantic fiber-optic cable is planned to be lifted from the ocean

Engineers began raising the historic transatlantic cable TAT-8 from the bottom of the Atlantic – the first fiber-optic cable to connect the United States, Great Britain, and France in 1988. The project became a turning point for global telecommunications infrastructure.

The First Fiber-Optic Bridge Across the Atlantic

TAT-8 used single-mode fiber with a wavelength of 1.3 µm and optoelectronic repeaters with a transmission rate of approximately 280 Mbps. This is modest by today’s standards, but in the late 1980s, the system was considered a technological breakthrough.

The total length of the line was almost 6,000 kilometers. Repeaters were located every few dozen kilometers—they were housed in sealed steel housings designed to withstand pressures at depths of up to 8,000 meters.

This principle still underlies most long-distance submarine lines. The cable replaced copper transatlantic lines and effectively ushered in a new era of international communications. At the time, the myth that sharks damaged underwater cables was widely discussed. Actual cases were rare, but the industry nevertheless implemented additional protection—a thin metal layer called fish-bite protection.

Dismantling and Recycling

Today, the TAT-8 is being recovered from the ocean floor using specialized diesel-powered vessels equipped with grappling hooks. Along with the cable, repeaters, fish-bite protection elements, and copper conductors are being recovered.

The work is being carried out by Subsea Environmental Services, one of the few operators specializing in the recycling of underwater communications.

After recovery, the equipment is sorted by material: glass, copper, steel, and electronic components. The raw materials are then sent for recycling, where they are used to manufacture new products.

Thus, the system that for nearly four decades provided connections between continents is coming full circle – this time as a source of secondary materials for modern infrastructure.