{{Short description|British undersea communications system installer}} {{Infobox company | name = Global Marine Group | logo = | type = Private | industry = Telecommunications Offshore Renewables, Oil & Gas | founded = 1850, Became independent business in 1999 | location = Chelmsford, England | area_served = Global | key_people = | products = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = 700 | parent = Keppel Corporation | homepage = {{URL|www.globalmarine.group}}}}
'''Global Marine Group''' is a British-headquartered specialist provider of installation, maintenance and repairs of submarine communications cable for the telecommunications, oil & gas and deep sea research industries. To this end, they operate their own a fleet of vessels, ROVs and specialised subsea trenching and burial equipment.
==History== It was established in 1999 when Global Crossing purchased British Telecom and Cable & Wireless marine operations and merged them.<ref name=ShipsMonthly>Global Marine Systems sold ''Ships Monthly'' May 2025 page 16</ref> In 2004, Global Marine Systems was purchased by Bridgehouse Marine and was completely restructured.
In September 2014, GMS was acquired by HC2, and in 2020 by JF Lehman & Partners.<ref>{{cite web | title= HC2 HOLDINGS ANNOUNCES DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT TO SELL GLOBAL MARINE GROUP, EXCLUDING THE HMN JOINT VENTURE, FOR $250 MILLION | url=https://globalmarine.co.uk/hc2-holdings-announces-definitive-agreement-to-sell-global-marine-group-excluding-the-hmn-joint-venture-for-250-million/ | date=31 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=J.F. LEHMAN & COMPANY ACQUIRES GLOBAL MARINE GROUP |url=https://globalmarine.co.uk/j-f-lehman-company-acquires-global-marine-group/ | date=2 March 2020}}</ref> Historically, the company has a legacy of over 160 years of cable installation, stemming from the first telegraph cables laid in the 1850s.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}
[[File:CS Sovereign.jpg|thumb|Cable Ship ''Sovereign'' at anchor in the Solent]] Global Marine has a worldwide presence, with offices in Chelmsford, UK and Singapore; depots in Portland, UK; Bermuda; Victoria, Canada; Batangas, Philippines and Batam, Indonesia; Ships are stationed around the world to support both installation of new cables and the maintenance and protection of existing cables. The company is also involved in joint ventures with China Telecom and Huawei.<ref>{{cite news|title=Huawei Marine Joint Venture Launched|url=http://pr.huawei.com/en/news/hw-076359-corporate-1partners.htm#.VLP4R6NFDIU|date=December 2008|access-date=2015-01-12|archive-date=2017-11-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114162812/http://pr.huawei.com/en/news/hw-076359-corporate-1partners.htm#.VLP4R6NFDIU|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Since 2002 Global Marine has become increasingly active in the installation of submarine power cables and gained significant market share in the European Offshore Renewables market, in addition to undertaking a number of large power interconnect projects.
The company was responsible for installing the cables connecting the turbines on a host of windfarm projects including Blythe (one of the first trial farms), Horns Rev 1 (the first major commercial windfarm in Denmark), Thornton Bank, Kentish Flats and others. To support this business Global Marine formed a subsidiary in 2011 called Global Marine Energy.
The development of the energy business included the opening of a new office in Middlesbrough and the construction of a specialist vessel, ''Cable Enterprise''. The subsidiary company was sold to Prysmian Group, the world’s largest cable manufacturer at the time of sale, in September 2012.
Global Marine today focuses primarily on supporting the telecoms,<ref>{{cite web|title=Telecoms overview|url=http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/telecoms-infographic.html|website=www.globalmarinesystems.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112181705/http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/telecoms-infographic.html|archivedate=2015-01-12}}</ref> oil & gas<ref>{{cite web|title=Oil & Gas Overview|url=http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/oil-gas-infographic.html|website=globalmarinesystems.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112182450/http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/oil-gas-infographic.html|archivedate=2015-01-12}}</ref> and deep sea research<ref>{{cite web|title=Deep Sea Research Overview|url=http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/science-infographic.html|website=globalmarinesystems.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112181926/http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/science-infographic.html|archivedate=2015-01-12}}</ref> markets. In March 2025, GMS was purchased by Keppel Corporation.<ref name=ShipsMonthly/><ref>[https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/keppel-infrastructure-fund-leads-acquisition-subsea-cable-solutions-provider-global-marine-group Keppel Infrastructure Fund leads acquisition of subsea cable solutions provider Global Marine Group] ''The Business Times'' 10 March 2025</ref>
== Group historical achievements == * 1988 Installed first transatlantic fibre optic submarine cable, TAT-8, * 1989 Installed first private transatlantic fibre optic submarine cable, PTAT * 1990 Installed first transpacific fibre optic submarine cable, NPC * 1992 First to plough unarmoured cable over 1,000 km in one continuous operation between Brunei and Singapore * 1994 First to post-lay bury to 2,000 metres, Pacific Rim West * 1995 First to bury cable to 10 metres and 4 metres in rock, APCN * 1997 Installed first dedicated internet cable between US and UK * 2003 Achieved deepest water ploughing to a depth of 1699m on the Svalbard system installed 1,350 km within the Arctic Circle. * 2010 Achieved deepest recorded cable burial at Port Klang in Malaysia achieving 14 meters on a power cable connecting to the Island of Pulau Ketam * 2014 Global Marine was awarded the Order of Distinction by RoSPA in recognition of the company's 15th consecutive year of outstanding occupational health and safety results.<ref>{{cite news|title=Global Marine Systems achieves order of Distinction in health and safety awards|url=http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/news/global-marine-systems-achieves-order-of-distinction-in-health-and-safety-awards.html|date=2014|access-date=2015-01-12|archive-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230910/http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/news/global-marine-systems-achieves-order-of-distinction-in-health-and-safety-awards.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> * 2014 Global Marine installed the 2014 Uninett project in Svalbard Norway, delivering the world's most northerly fibre optic cable system, deep within the Arctic Circle.<ref>{{cite news|title=Global Marine installs the most northerly fibre optic cable system in the world|url=http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/news/global-marine-installs-the-most-northerly-fibre-optic-cable-system-in-the-world.html|date=November 2014|access-date=2015-01-12|archive-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232115/http://www.globalmarinesystems.com/news/global-marine-installs-the-most-northerly-fibre-optic-cable-system-in-the-world.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
To date Global Marine has installed over 300,000 km of subsea cable, 23% of the world's total.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} In addition to this Global Marine with joint venture partners has performed 35% of maintenance operations on world fibre optic cables.
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Companies based in Chelmsford Category:Engineering companies of the United Kingdom Category:1999 establishments in England Category:2025 mergers and acquisitions