French vessel seeks approval to resume Great Sea Interconnector surveys

Greece has requested permission for a French-flagged vessel to conduct seabed surveys in its territorial waters, in an effort to resume work on the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) electricity cable. The Hellenic coast guard confirmed that a request for an exemption had been submitted for the Abeille Marengo to carry out marine surveys along the proposed route for the undersea cable connecting Crete with Cyprus. The vessel, currently in Naples, Italy, will have to notify Greek authorities at least 72 hours before beginning work. Daily updates will also be required, including the coordinates of survey areas, the work being conducted and the safety measures in place. The surveys are intended to map the seabed and establish the technical requirements for laying and protecting the cable. The coast guard said there had been no other changes to the survey procedure or the planned cable route. Greek Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou recently said a NAVTEX maritime notice for the new surveys was expected to be issued in the coming weeks. Work is currently expected to resume by the end of the year, although a further extension remains possible if required. The GSI is designed to connect Cyprus to Greece through a submarine electricity cable, integrating the island into the European electricity network.