Introduction
Welcome to the North America Zone (NAZ) Cableship Maintenance Agreement! The NAZ provides Cableship and ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) repair and maintenance to member Undersea Cable Systems in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. To become a NAZ Member, a company needs to have Maintenance Authority responsibilities for an Undersea Cable System in the area. The NAZ Cableship and ROV are provided by Global Marine Systems Limited (GMSL), operating out of a permanent Depot facility in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Agreement
In operation for more than 20 years, the current NAZ Agreement and its predecessors have allowed companies both large and small to provide Cableship and ROV maintenance services for undersea cable systems under their control. Member Cable Systems range from Alaska to Mexico and West past Hawaii and South towards Australia and New Zealand. The NAZ Agreement, based on the spirit of mutual cooperation, provides the basis for vessel usage and cost allocations to be shared by the members. The current Agreement, referred to as the NAZ 2012 Agreement, came into effect 1 April, 2012 and will be in effect through 31 December, 2017. The Agreement allows the vessel and ROV to be used for Cable Repair, Reburial, required periodic surveys and, if required, improvement work for member cable systems. All decisions within the Agreement are made by the individual members and all members have to opportunity to participate in discussions and decision making. All members have the opportunity to participate in an Annual Meeting with the Service Provider, GMSL, to discuss their activities, performance and plans for the subsequent year.
Service Provider Contract
The NAZ Agreement members entered into a Service Provider Contract with GMSL to provide maintenance and repair services to the NAZ Agreement Cable Systems. Based at a dedicated Depot Facility in Victoria, British Columbia, the CS Wave Venture and ROV ST-204 provide service to NAZ members under strict KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators). The required 24 hour mobilization and other industry leading guarantees provide for prompt and cost efficient repair services. The CS Wave Venture also provides required Marine Surveys, required inspections and remedial work to members.
Summary
The NAZ Agreement has a long history of providing excellent service to its members. To join the NAZ Agreement, a cable system needs only to be fault-free at the time of entry and can be entered from before the Ready for Service (RFS) date to any point after RFS has commenced. The NAZ Agreement provides maintenance coverage from the date of entry up until the point of retirement related recovery from the seabed with clearly defined costs, rights and responsibilities. Membership in the NAZ Agreement also provides access to Value Added Services by GMSL providing Cable Protection Activities, Land Cable Repair and Cable Charting Services at set contractual costs. Membership also allows entry into the Pacific Indian Ocean Cableship Mutual Assistance (PIOCMA) Agreement which allows, at no additional cost, access to other Pacific Region Cableships and ROVs under clear contractual terms and cost in the unlikely event that the CS Wave Venture is not available to conduct a repair.
For additional information, please contact the NAZ Chairman, David Anderson, by email at or telephone at +1 908 234 3126.