History
Global Marine's beginnings can be traced back to 1850 when the ship Goliath laid the first international submarine telegraph cable to link Britain to France.
Over the next 150 years the use of submarine telegraph and then telecommunications cables grew rapidly. A number of businesses emerged from the original companies involved with the Goliath. Dozens of transoceanic cables were laid, requiring purpose-built ships and submersibles to install them and then maintain them.
Cable & Wireless Marine and British Telecom Marine were incorporated by the mid-1990s, both of which operated fleets of cable ships. The General Post Office ship Monarch IV was responsible for laying the first transatlantic co-axial cable system.
Other notable firsts include:- 1988 Installation of a transatlantic fibre optic cable called TAT-8
- 1992 Over 1,000 kilometres of cable was ploughed in one continuous operation between Brunei and Singapore
- In 1995 Cable & Wireless acquired BT Marine. This was followed by General Offshore in 1998, both increasing the breadth and depth of our marine engineering expertise. This fusion of three different businesses created a company with substantial deep-water experience and a significant track record in shallow water, allowing us to offer a comprehensive and integrated service to the market.
- In 1999, we were bought by US company Global Crossing and became known as Global Marine Systems Limited. This coincided with the start of a downturn in the telecommunications industry as market players consolidated, there was too much capacity in the water, and too many marine engineering providers. Our research & development blossomed as we looked for new ways of being competitive, offering faster, higher quality services to a changing industry.
- In 2004 we were bought by new owners, Bridgehouse Marine, and completely restructured. We are now independent, not owned by any telecommunications company, and entirely self-funding. This gives assurance to our customers that all the work we do is strictly best in class.
