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Product

Unrepeatered FIMT submarine fibre-optic cableITU-T G.972 / G.97612–144 FibresSA / DA / RA Armour

Unrepeatered FIMT Submarine Fibre CableDouble-armoured laser-welded 316L FIMT unrepeatered submarine telecom & tie-back cable

Unrepeatered submarine fibre-optic telecom and offshore platform tie-back cable to ITU-T G.972/G.976, with up to 144 ultra-low-loss G.652.D or G.654.E fibres inside a hermetically welded 316L FIMT and double steel wire armour.

Water-resistant
Anti-torsion braid
EMC screen
Approved
Order designation
UFIMT-DA-48FO
Nominal OD
32.2 mm
Weight in sea
2,210 kg/km
NTTS rating
185 kN
Breaking load
310 kN
All sizes (12)
Request a quoteDatasheetWhatsApp
Engineering reply in 2 business hoursCut-to-length export drumsEN 10204 3.1 certificate per drum
Fibre count
12 to 144 FO
Single or dual 316L laser-welded FIMT
Attenuation
≤ 0.16–0.19 dB
dB/km @ 1550 nm (G.654.E / G.652.D)
Span length
Up to 450 km
Unrepeatered festoon, island & platform
Breaking load
120–450 kN
SA, DA & Rock-Armoured (RA) grades
Design depth
Up to 6,000 m
LWP deep-sea & DA/RA continental shelf
Design life
25 Years
ITU-T G.972 / G.976 qualified

Typical values for this cable type, based on ITU-T G.972 / ITU-T G.976 / IEC 60794-3 — confirmed in the datasheet and quotation for your order.

Application fit

Is Unrepeatered FIMT Submarine Fibre Cable right for your machine?

Supplied in transitional armour protections matched to route depth: DA/RA for shore landings and trawler zones, SA for shelf burial, and LWP for deep ocean.

Immersion & wet locations

Suitable

Hermetically laser-welded 316L stainless-steel FIMT with hydrogen-scavenging gel prevents optical darkening over 25 years.

Fixed installation

Suitable

Double-armoured (DA) and Rock-Armoured (RA) constructions withstand surf-zone abrasion, J-tube pulls, and anchor/trawl impact.

Trailing & towing

Suitable

High axial tensile rating (NTTS up to 250 kN) supports simultaneous seabed plough burial and post-lay jetting.

Motorised monospiral reel

Not suitable

Submarine telecom cable is engineered for static seabed installation, not dynamic crane drum reeling.

Use TFOCA-II Tactical Fibre

Energy chain / drag chain

Not suitable

Heavy bitumen-flushed double steel wire armour is not suitable for indoor automation cable carriers.

Use M12 Ethernet Assembly
Typical machinesIsland & Coastal Festoon TelecomOffshore Oil & Gas Platform Tie-BackOffshore Wind Farm SCADA RingSubsea Cabled ObservatoriesSubsea Pipeline Leak Detection (DAS)

Construction

Layer by layer

Double-Armoured (DA) cross-section: central 316L FIMT (24–144 FO) + HDPE inner sheath + inner galvanised steel wire armour + PP bedding + outer steel wire armour + PP roving / HDPE outer serving.

123456
Schematic, not to scale — generated from the layer data
#LayerMaterial & reference
1Hermetic 316L FIMT optical coreLaser-welded 316L stainless-steel tube filled with thixotropic hydrogen-scavenging gel housing 12–144 ITU-T G.652.D or G.654.E fibres100 % radial barrier against hydrostatic pressure and hydrogen diffusion
2Primary HDPE insulating sheathExtruded high-density polyethylene (HDPE) belt bonded over the stainless FIMT and inner strength wiresCushions the optical tube and provides fault-location electrical insulation
3Inner galvanised steel wire armourHelically served high-tensile galvanised steel wires (1,300–1,800 MPa) flushed with marine bitumen compoundProvides primary tensile load capacity during cable-ship laying and recovery
4Polypropylene bedding & cushion yarnBitumen-impregnated polypropylene rovings and water-swellable binder tapes between armour layersPrevents inter-layer wire fretting and absorbs radial rock/trawl impact
5Outer galvanised steel wire armourSecond layer of heavy galvanised steel armour wires (4.0–6.0 mm wire diameter on DA/RA builds)Protects against fishing trawl doors, anchor drag and rocky shore landings
6Outer polypropylene serving / HDPE jacketBitumen-flushed polypropylene yarn serving (or extruded HDPE outer sheath) with high-visibility yellow identification stripesProvides stable seabed friction coefficient and UV/abrasion protection in J-tubes

UFIMT-SA (Single Armoured — Shelf Burial)

Single layer of galvanised steel armour wires over the HDPE-sheathed FIMT core for plough/jet burial at 50–1,500 m water depth

UFIMT-DA / RA (Double & Rock Armoured — Nearshore)

Two layers of heavy galvanised steel armour wires for shore-end landings, J-tube pulls, pipeline crossings and <200 m trawler zones

Technical data

Ratings & operating limits

Typical values: Typical values for this cable type, based on ITU-T G.972 / ITU-T G.976 / IEC 60794-3. Values for your order are confirmed in the datasheet and quotation.

Electrical

FIMT fault-location insulation
≥ 10,000 MΩ·km (HDPE sheath before armour)
DC sheathspark test
25 kV DC spark test on primary HDPE sheath
Metallic tube resistance
≤ 18 Ω/km (316L FIMT + steel vault)

Thermal

Seabed operating temperature
−10 °C to +50 °C
Cable tank storage & laying
−30 °C to +70 °C
Bitumen softening point
≥ +75 °C (non-drip tropical grade)

Mechanical

Nominal transient tensile (NTTS)
80 kN (SA) · 180 kN (DA) · 250 kN (RA)
Nominal operating tension (NOT)
45 kN (SA) · 100 kN (DA) · 140 kN (RA)
Ultimate breaking load (UTS)
130 kN (SA) to 450 kN (DA/RA)
Crush resistance (IEC 60794-1-21)
10 kN/100 mm (SA) · 25–40 kN/100 mm (DA/RA)
Min. bend radius (laying/no load)
20 × OD (under tension) · 12 × OD (static)

Optical

Fibre options
ITU-T G.652.D (low water peak) or G.654.E (ultra-low loss)
Attenuation @ 1550 nm
≤ 0.19 dB/km (G.652.D) · ≤ 0.16 dB/km (G.654.E)
Attenuation @ 1310 nm
≤ 0.34 dB/km (G.652.D)
Polarisation mode dispersion
≤ 0.06 ps/√km link design value

Resistance

Hydrostatic water depth
Up to 2,000 m (SA/DA) · up to 6,000 m (LWP)
Hydrogen ageing resistance
< 0.003 dB/km over 25 years (ITU-T G.976)
Impact resistance
≥ 100 J (SA) · ≥ 250 J (DA/RA) per ITU-T G.976

Reference standards

Submarine system standard
ITU-T G.972 / ITU-T G.976
Optical cable test standard
IEC 60794-3 / UJ Consortium compatible
Subsea engineering guidance
DNV-RP-F401 / ICPC Recommendations

Identification

Outer serving
Black polypropylene yarn with yellow warning stripes
Fibre & tube colour code
TIA/EIA-598-D 12-fibre colour sequence + ring marks
Customs tariff (HS)
8544.70

Sizes

12 standard LWP, SA, DA & RA unrepeatered FIMT submarine fibre cable builds

Matched outer core construction across armour transitions for seamless universal jointing (UJ) from beach manhole to deep water.

Armour grades, fibre counts & mechanical ratings
Order designationArmour Protection GradeFibres
Count		Nominal OD
mm		Weight in air
kg/km		Weight in sea
kg/km		NTTS
kN		UTS
kN		Static MBR
mm		Enquiry
Light Weight Protected (LWP) & Single Armoured (SA) Grades
UFIMT-LWP-24FOLWP (Steel Vault + Al Tape + HDPE)2414.53902205590218
UFIMT-LWP-48FOLWP (Steel Vault + Al Tape + HDPE)4815.24302456095228
UFIMT-SA-24FOSA (Single Galvanised Wire Armour)2421.81,18085085140327
UFIMT-SA-48FOSA (Single Galvanised Wire Armour)4822.41,24089590150336
UFIMT-SA-96FOSA (Single Galvanised Wire Armour)9624.01,4101,020100165360
UFIMT-SA-144FOSA (Dual FIMT · Single Armour)14426.21,6501,190110180393
Double Armoured (DA) & Rock Armoured (RA) Nearshore Grades
UFIMT-DA-24FODA (Double Contra-Helical Armour)2431.52,8602,120180300473
UFIMT-DA-48FODA (Double Contra-Helical Armour)4832.22,9802,210185310483
UFIMT-DA-72FODA (Double Contra-Helical Armour)7233.03,1202,310195325495
UFIMT-DA-96FODA (Double Contra-Helical Armour)9634.23,3402,480205340513
UFIMT-DA-144FODA (Dual FIMT · Double Armour)14436.83,8202,840225375552
UFIMT-RA-48FORA (Short-Pitch Heavy Rock Armour)4839.54,6803,520250450593
  • Typical values for this cable type; dimensions and weights for your order are confirmed in the quotation.
  • NTTS = Nominal Transient Tensile Strength ( zero permanent optical strain after recovery); UTS = Ultimate Tensile Strength.

Quality & approvals

Testing & inspection

Routine tests on every production length, sample and type tests per batch — documented on an EN 10204 3.1 inspection certificate.

  1. ConductorClass 5 stranding
  2. Spark test100 % in-line
  3. Lay-upCores, earth, fillers
  4. SheathingInner, braid / screen, outer
  5. Electrical testsAC voltage, resistance
  6. DimensionsOD, wall thickness
  7. Inspection documents & dispatchDrum & dispatch
Testing & inspectionTest value / referenceFrequency
Routine tests
Bidirectional OTDR attenuation & PMD measurement≤ 0.19 dB/km (G.652.D) or ≤ 0.16 dB/km (G.654.E) @ 1550 nm100 % of fibres after each manufacturing stage
25 kV DC spark & insulation resistance test on HDPE belt≥ 10,000 MΩ·km insulation resistance in water tankEvery cable length prior to armouring
Sample tests
Tensile strain-margin & optical elongation testZero residual fibre attenuation increase up to NTTS loadQualification & project lot
Crush, impact, sheave bend & hydrostatic qualificationFull ITU-T G.976 qualification suite including 60 MPa water pressureType approval

Inspection certificate

Issued with every drum, listing the routine test results for that length.

Product approvals

ITU-T G.972 / G.976 Submarine QualificationITU-T G.652.D / G.654.E Ultra-Low-Loss Fibre

Company certificates

ISO 9001ISO 14001ISO 45001VDE marks approvalUL / cULCE · LVD / EMC

Marking & supply

Ordering & delivery

Sheath marking

TEBAOFLEX UFIMT-DA SUBMARINE FIBRE CABLE ITU-T G.972 [FO COUNT] [YEAR] [KM]
Delivery form
Direct vessel pan/tank coiling or large steel ocean reels
Continuous span
Up to 80 km per single factory length; factory armour-transition joints to 450 km
Jointing & hardware
Universal Joint (UJ) kits, beach-manhole anchor boxes & articulated split pipe
Lead time
6–12 weeks depending on route schedule

Technical documents

Downloads

PDFUnrepeatered FIMT Submarine Fibre Cable – technical datasheet12 sizes · construction, technical data, approvalsXLSXUnrepeatered FIMT Submarine Fibre Cable spec data (Excel)All 12 sizes with dimensions and data, for your BOM or quotation
Revision
2026-10-20
Updated
2026-10-20

FAQ

Questions engineers ask first

Not covered here? Send your drawing — an engineer replies within 2 business hours.

How far can an unrepeatered FIMT submarine fibre cable transmit without submerged optical amplifiers?
Using ITU-T G.652.D fibres (≤ 0.19 dB/km at 1550 nm), unrepeatered links routinely span 250–320 km. By specifying ultra-low-loss large-effective-area ITU-T G.654.E fibres (≤ 0.155–0.160 dB/km) with shore-based Raman amplification and remote optically pumped amplifiers (ROPA), unrepeatered spans reach 400–450 km.
When do you transition between LWP, SA, DA, and RA armour along a subsea route?
Rock Armoured (RA) and Double Armoured (DA) cables are laid from the beach manhole through the surf zone and across shallow continental shelf areas (<200 m) exposed to fishing trawls and ship anchors. Single Armoured (SA) cable is used where the cable is plough-buried in 200–1,500 m depth, and Light Weight Protected (LWP) is laid on benign deep ocean beds beyond 1,500 m.
Why is a laser-welded 316L stainless-steel FIMT superior to a PBT loose tube for subsea telecom cables?
Polymer loose tubes allow water vapour and dissolved hydrogen molecules to permeate into the fibre cavity under hydrostatic pressure, causing progressive OH⁻ absorption darkening at 1383 nm and 1550 nm. A hermetically laser-welded 316L stainless-steel tube forms an impenetrable metallic barrier for a 25-year subsea design life.
Can the HDPE sheath be used for shore-end electroding and fault location?
Yes. The primary HDPE sheath extruded over the stainless-steel FIMT is tested to ≥ 10,000 MΩ·km insulation resistance, allowing a low-frequency tone or DC current to be injected onto the metallic FIMT for sub-metre ROV electroding and burial-depth tracking.

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Unrepeatered FIMT Submarine Fibre Cable

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