Taking New Zealand expertise to the Northern Hemisphere

Kordia's Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) is helping protect critical underwater infrastructure (CUI) on the other side of the world, extending its specialist monitoring capability to the North Sea and English Channel.

As well as being the first point of contact for New Zealanders in distress in the water, the MOC is now monitoring six critical submarine cable segments that connect Europe. This work is in collaboration with the UK and Norway, using innovative surveillance technology developed by Starboard Maritime Intelligence. The cables are vulnerable to damage, particularly those in shallower water that are near fishing and shipping routes.

The world-leading technology triggers an alert when vessel activity risks damaging a cable. Where potential risks are identified, MOC operators work directly with vessels and maritime authorities to help prevent damage before it occurs.

The MOC also monitors New Zealand’s CUI, which are vital to the country’s security as they carry around 99 percent of our data traffic.

The technology is a collaboration between the Government and industry, with its rollout following a successful trial in the Hauraki Gulf and Muriwai Cable Areas last year.

MOC Manager Brendan Comerford says the expansion of the service to the North Sea is testament to the capability of the team.

"This is a significant milestone for our Maritime Operations Centre. The operational expertise we've developed supporting New Zealand's search and rescue services and protecting our own critical underwater infrastructure is now helping protect CUI in one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.”

Starboard Maritime Intelligence CEO Trent Fulcher says: "Protecting critical underwater infrastructure takes both accurate intelligence and experienced operators. Our partnership with Kordia brings those strengths together by combining Starboard’s behavioural intelligence with Kordia’s operational expertise to identify potential risks early and support action to prevent cable damage. We’re proud to see this New Zealand capability now helping protect critical infrastructure at home and overseas."

The MOC is New Zealand’s round-the-clock nerve centre for maritime emergencies that works on behalf of Maritime NZ to keep New Zealanders safe on the water.

Staffed 24/7, the MOC supports mariners and provides weather information and navigational warnings to vessels across an enormous patch of ocean – roughly 30 million square kilometres, stretching from the mid-Tasman Sea to halfway to Chile, and from the South Pole to the Equator. It's one of the largest search and rescue regions on the planet.

Over the past 30 years, the MOC has handled around 27,000 calls for assistance, involving more than 90,000 people.

By combining world-class search and rescue expertise with advanced monitoring technology, Kordia’s MOC is helping keep both people and the infrastructure they rely on safe - at home and overseas.