Ceremony for the Installation of the First Buoy in the Second Palau Submarine Cable Project

On June 6, 2022, Ambassador KARASAWA Akira attended the cable buoy installation ceremony for the Second Palau Submarine Cable Project at a port in Ngardmau State. The ceremony was hosted by Belau Submarine Cable Corporation (BSCC) and attended by Minister of Public Infrastructure and Industries Charles Obivchang, Australian Ambassador Richelle Turner, USAID Palau Country Coordinator Paula Miller, Governor of Ngardmau State Blesoch Aderkeroi, General Manager of Submarine Project of NEC Atsushi Kuwahara and other guests. The guests celebrated the landing of the cable, handing over the buoy supporting the cable from one to another.
 

This project is to construct a submarine cable system (approx. 110 km) branching to Palau from the cable between the US and Singapore. Palau was connected to the first submarine cable in 2017, and this project for the second submarine cable is expected to expand Palau’s communication capacity, strengthen the reliability of its communication infrastructure, and promote the growth of the private sector.
 

This is the first Japan-US-Australia Trilateral Infrastructure Partnership project, jointly funded by both public and private partners. Japan provided support through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, with a total of $8 million USD in financing, and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI). Furthermore, NEC of Japan, who laid the first submarine cable in Palau, is the primary contractor to install the main body of the cable.
 

According to BSCC, the project is well advanced toward the service date expected in late 2023 or 2024. In December 2021, the groundbreaking ceremony for the cable landing station was held in the presence of the then Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Payne. In June 2022, the Palauan end of the cable will be landed on site at Ngardmau and secured in the beach pit on the dock. The cable installation is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2023.
 

At the ceremony, Minister Obichang stated, “It’s blessing to hold this ceremony today. We express full appreciation to Japan, US and Australia for our partnership. This project features advanced technology to connect Palau with every part of the world.”