What Subsea Environmental Services does

Subsea Environmental Services (SES) is a privately held marine environmental services company that recovers and recycles out-of-service (OOS) submarine telecommunications cables. Founded in 2012 and commencing marine operations in 2014, the company is headquartered in New York City and The Netherlands, with operations spanning North America, Europe, the Mediterranean, and Africa. SES serves global submarine cable operators and consortia, executing deep-water cable recovery, shore-end decommissioning, route clearance, depot spares removal, and logistics services.

The company operates a fleet of dedicated cable recovery vessels — MV Rebecca (acquired 2022) and the purpose-built diesel-electric MV Maasvliet (delivered February 2025) — equipped with winches, grapnels, cable-handling gear, and, in the case of MV Rebecca, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling instrumentation. Recovered cable components (copper, steel, polyethylene) are dismantled and recycled through partners including Mertech Marine in South Africa, with approximately 99% of recovered material reintroduced into the global supply chain. The company holds recovery rights to a portfolio exceeding 300,000 km of deep-water cable systems, including TAT-8, TAT-14, and SMW-3 (the world's second-largest cable system).

SES monetizes through project-based, quote-driven contracts with telecom operators and cable consortia, generating revenue from professional services (cable recovery and decommissioning) and from the sale of recycled materials. The company is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, holds full membership in the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) and associate membership in the European Subsea Cables Association (ESCA), and received up to USD 31 million in debt funding from Orion Infrastructure Capital in 2022 to finance vessel acquisition and portfolio expansion.

Name

Subsea Environmental Services

Legal name

Subsea Environmental Services

Website

https://subsea.cc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Subsea Environmental Services recovers and recycles out-of-service submarine telecommunications cables for global telecom operators and cable consortia, operating a dedicated fleet of cable recovery vessels with operations across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Submarine Cable Recovery Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Subsea Cable Construction, Marine Installation & Repair Services (HDAIALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Subsea Cable Maintenance Zones & Fleet Operators (Fault Response) (HDAIALAD), Asset Recovery & Decommissioning (Derelict Vessels, Abandoned Property) (IMAJANAI)

Keywords

• Submarine cable recovery
• Submarine cable recycling
• Subsea decommissioning services
• Marine environmental services
• Telecom cable disposal

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Submarine Cable Recovery Services: Deep-water cable recovery operations removing out-of-service submarine telecommunication cables from seabed. Includes route clearance, shore-end decommissioning, depot spares removal, and logistics services. Revenue derived from project-based contracts with telecom operators.
2. Cable Recycling and Material Recovery: Recovery and recycling of cable components including copper, steel, and polyethylene. Materials re-introduced into global supply chain. 99% of recovered material is recycled and resold.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Subsea Environmental Services recovers out-of-service submarine telecommunication cables from the seabed using purpose-built cable recovery vessels, and recycles the recovered components (copper, steel, polyethylene) back into the global supply chain. The company provides deep-water cable recovery, shore-end decommissioning, depot clearance, route clearance, and logistics services to telecom cable operators worldwide.

Product overview

Subsea Environmental Services (SES) offers a unified service platform for the decommissioning and recycling of out-of-service submarine telecommunications cables. The company operates a fleet of specialized cable recovery vessels (MV Rebecca and MV Maasvliet) providing deep-water cable recovery, shore-end decommissioning, depot clearance and logistics, and route clearance services. SES recovers retired cables from the seabed and recycles their components (copper, steel, polyethylene), re-introducing approximately 99% of recovered materials into the global supply chain. The company holds rights to recover major cable systems including SMW-3 (world's 2nd largest) and has completed landmark projects including TAT-14 decommissioning and the historic TAT-8 first transatlantic fiber-optic cable recovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deep-Water Cable Recovery Specialized deep-water recovery operations for out-of-service submarine telecommunication cables from the seabed, utilizing purpose-built vessels and equipment including winches and grapnels. Service is offered to telecom operators decommissioning aging cable systems, with operations such as the TAT-14 and TAT-8 cable recoveries.
• Shore-End Decommissioning Decommissioning services for submarine cable shore ends, removing retired infrastructure from coastal areas. Offered to telecom operators requiring cable retirement near coastlines.
• Depot Clearance & Logistics Logistics services for depot spares removal and complete depot clearance operations for telecom operators, supporting management of retired cable assets held in onshore depots.
• Route Clearance Route clearance services ensuring safe seabed conditions following cable recovery operations, removing debris and abandoned infrastructure for telecom operators.
• Cable Recycling and Material Recovery Recovery and recycling of cable components including copper, steel, and polyethylene. Approximately 99% of recovered material is recycled and re-introduced into the global supply chain. Processed through South African recycling partner Mertech Marine.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of recovered material re-introduced into global supply chain
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hudig & Veder Chartering BVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2025Landmark agreement for long-term charter of purpose-built cable recovery vessel. Subsea and Hudig & Veder collaborated on vessel modification to serve as state-of-the-art cable recovery ship. Vessel designed with focus on environmental performance and sustainability.
• Mertech MarineminorOthersSouth African recycling partner responsible for mechanical dismantling and recycling of recovered cable materials. Handles processing of recovered optical repeaters, armor wires, copper conductors, and polymer insulation.
• University of AucklandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner analyzing eDNA samples collected aboard Subsea vessels. Research collaboration for marine conservation and species discovery.
• Citizens of the SeaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine research organization analyzing eDNA samples. Collaboration focused on ocean health and marine ecosystem research.
• Cawthron InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Zealand marine research institute partner analyzing eDNA samples collected during cable recovery operations.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS government agency partnered for ocean research. Subsea vessels serve as platforms for scientific data collection supporting ocean preservation efforts.
• URI Graduate School of OceanographyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner collaborating on ocean science and data collection initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Resolve Marine: Global marine salvage, wreck removal, and emergency response company. Comparable in the marine recovery and asset-recovery services space, though focused on vessels and maritime casualties rather than telecom cables.
• Ardent Global: Marine services company specializing in offshore, subsea, and salvage operations. Comparable in subsea intervention and asset-recovery capabilities, with overlap in the marine recovery services category.

Broad incumbents

• SubCom (TE Subcom): Major submarine cable system supplier and installer with a global cable ship fleet. Broad incumbent in subsea telecom infrastructure with overlapping capabilities in cable handling and seabed operations.
• Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN): Largest submarine cable system manufacturer and installer globally, owned by Nokia. While primarily focused on new cable systems, ASN's fleet and service capabilities overlap with subsea cable maintenance and decommissioning.
• Boskalis: Large maritime services company with subsea cable, offshore, and marine salvage operations. Broader portfolio than SES but competes in marine infrastructure, subsea services, and seabed intervention work.

Direct peers

• Global Marine Systems Limited: Operates a fleet of cable ships for subsea cable installation, maintenance, and repair globally. Closest direct peer to SES in terms of operating cable-handling vessels for telecom infrastructure projects.
• Orange Marine: Subsidiary of Orange (formerly France Telecom) operating cable ships for installation, maintenance, and recovery of submarine telecom cables in Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia. Directly comparable in fleet-based cable services.
• E-marine: UAE-based subsea cable installation, maintenance, and repair company operating a fleet of cable ships. Competes with SES for subsea telecom cable projects, particularly across the Middle East and Indian Ocean.
• IT International Telecom: Submarine cable installation, maintenance, and recovery services provider with a global cable ship fleet. Direct peer in the subsea cable services space, with comparable project-based service offerings.

Others

• Mertech Marine: South African-based recycling partner of SES, responsible for mechanical dismantling of recovered cable materials. Operational partner rather than competitor, but illustrates the broader subsea cable recycling ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Subsea Environmental Services