The request

French contractor Nexans, which is building the Great Sea Interconnector, has asked the Hellenic Coast Guard to approve use of the French-flagged vessel Abeille Marengo (IMO 9388613) for seabed surveys on the Crete-Cyprus cable route. The Coast Guard announcement, as reported by iefimerida and SKAI, describes an exemption application covering survey areas inside national territorial waters. Nexans has assigned the fieldwork to Next Geosolutions Europe SpA, a geophysical survey company, and the 72-metre ship was reported to be in Naples, Italy. One report from in.gr, citing OT, said the exemption commission's decision is expected in about 15 days and placed the work in international waters, a detail other reports do not repeat. The approval is the first step toward the NAVTEX notice that would follow.

Coast Guard sources stressed that the request had been routed through the usual channels:

“The conduct of the research has been duly approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

What the surveys will measure

The vessel will use a multibeam echo sounder, side scan sonar, a magnetometer and video to map conditions on the seabed along the whole route. Geotechnical core samples will be taken at depths of up to 700 metres, and that data will determine how the cables are protected. Burying cables at shallow depths is described as a common practice that guards against wear and possible malicious acts. The ship must notify the Hydrographic Service, the Navy's Submarine Command and the ΔΛΑ 72 hours before work starts and daily while it continues, providing coordinates, work descriptions and safety distances. Kathimerini reported that the vessel will operate under the discreet presence of Coast Guard boats and Navy units, as is usual in such cases.

Timing and government statements

Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou said on Tuesday, 13 October, that the new surveys would start within the coming weeks, probably in November, according to NewsIT. Kathimerini gave an earlier window, saying the NAVTEX notice was most likely in late October, while iefimerida reported that the NAVTEX was expected within the coming weeks, as Papastavrou had said days earlier. In.gr reported that the Coast Guard had approved the work until 31 December 2026, whereas the Coast Guard sources quoted above pointed to the Foreign Ministry as the body that approved the research. Earlier, during a visit to Athens, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced support for energy interconnections, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, citing Rubio, said the US backs such projects partly because the cable could reach Israel.

Turkey and the French flag

NewsIT recalled that in summer 2024 two Italian vessels tried to carry out similar work off Kasos but were obstructed by Turkish warships. Since the French company Meridiam joined the project's shareholding, preparatory work has been under way with the aim of issuing the NAVTEX. According to NewsIT, the government stresses that the ship flies the French flag, which it expects to moderate Turkish reactions. Coast Guard sources described the wide circulation of the request as standard procedure, intended to establish whether a Greek-flagged ship with suitable capabilities is available. They added:

“Under current legislation, work within territorial waters is in principle reserved for ships flying the Greek flag.”

The exemption therefore depends on the absence of a suitable Greek-flagged vessel, a point the sources left for the competent directorate to settle.