The New Caledonia Post and Telecommunication (OPT) gives the following info by this issue of 2007 of 280F, with thanks to Mr. Jean-Louis Araigon for the translation.
New Caledonia will profit from this new submarine cable for their internet connections, after a
contract was signed between OPT and the French Alcatel company.
This submerged cable network named Gondwana-1 will be laid by the cable ship ILE DE RÉ, and will connect Noumea to Sydney (2.000km) from where it will be interconnected with the international networks towards Europe and the United States. The traffic will go from the North to the South via the optical link of the OPT and will leave Poindimié, via the submerged cable, to serve the islands of Ouvéa and Lifou. The island of Maré and the island of the Pines will connected by this cable via a radio-relay system to Lifou.
The work on this new submarine cable will commence in the first quarter of 2008, and will accelerate the economic development of the islands by offering a high speed connection to the whole of the Territory.
Indeed, thanks to an investment of 45 million Euro’s and 15 million Euro’s for the construction of the terrestrial infrastructure are added.
The OPT will then be able to give all Caledonians an international connection, and to develop new high speed services such as triple play or the mobile of the third generation.
Built as a ro-ro cargo ship under yard 150 by the Mathias Thesen Werft, Wismar, East Germany for the Deutfrach/Seereederei, Rostock, East Germany.
24 October 1981 launched under the name GLEICHBERG, five sisters.
Tonnage 4.692 grt, 1.895 net, 6.704 dwt., dim. 138.53 x 21.0 x 7.2m. (draught)
Powered by two 12-cyl Skoda engines, manufactured by Maschinenbau Halberstadt GmbH, 14.400 bhp, twin controllable pitch propellers, speed 18.5 knots.
Bunker capacity 1.979 m³.
Accommodation for 12 passengers.
27 July 1982 delivered.
She were the first ro-ro design built in East Germany, with a stern door and ramp, and two 55 ton lifts, Three cargo decks with an capacity for 167 x 20ft trailers, 249 TEU containers or 409 medium size cars.
After delivery used in the traffic from East Germany.
12 August 1982 on her maiden voyage from East Germany she ran with full power on a underwater reef near Aqaba. Heavy bottom damage, and she was towed to the Bordaspas yard at Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia for repair.
18 June 1990 Transferred to Deutsche Seereederei GmbH, Rostock, Germany.
From 06 September 1991 till 05 February 1994 chartered by Dublin Ferry Ltd., Dublin, renamed CITY OF DUBLIN.
05 February 1994 transferred to Euroseabridge Schiffahrtsgesellschaft GmbH, Rostock and managed by Reederei F. Laeisz, Germany, renamed GLEICHBERG.
1995 till October 1995 chartered by Finncarriers Oy, Helsingfors, Finland, used for the service between Helsingfors to Lubeck.
29 October 1995 till 03 December 1996 chartered by TT-Line, Hamburg, for the service between Travemünde to Trelleborg.
January 1996 used in the service between Travemünde to Klaipeda.
October 1996 till December 1999 chartered by Transfennica, and transferred to Merkur Shipping Corp., Monrovia. Liberia, used in the service between Hangö to Lübeck.
January 1996 used in the service between Travemûnde to St Petersburg.
August 1996 in the service from Travemünde to Klaipeda.
27 December 1999 renamed in PREROW.
February 2000 chartered by Cotunav, Tunis.
12 February 2000 handed over to ships charter at Lübeck, and left for the Mediterranean, used in the service between Tunis and Livorno, Italy.
2000 Sold to Alda Marine S.A.S, Paris (Louis Dreyfuss), renamed in ILE DE RÉ, port of registry Marseille. IMO No. 8200278.
2001 Refitted in a cable-layer and maintenance ship by the yard of Remontowa S.A., Gdansk, Poland.
Tonnage 14.358 grt, 4.307 net, dim. 142.94 x 23.3 x 14.6m., draught 7.37m., length bpp. 124.39m.
Six cable tanks with a capacity of 4.691 tons of cable, and she has also storage for 40 repeaters.
Carried a submersible ROV for cable burial.
04 October 2006, New Caledonia’s OPT and Alcatel sign a contract of 42 million Euro’s for a new Gondwana-1 submarine communication cable network.
This cable network will connect the islands of the New Caledonia group with Sydney, and then via it international network with the rest of the world.
The laying of the cable will be carried out by the ILE DE RÉ.
Source: Bureau Veritas. Comecon Merchant Ships by Greenway. http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/gleichberg_1982.htm some other web-sites.