Strategic Planning &
Assessment
Validate your vision. Navigate complexity. De-risk your subsea project from the start.
Strategic Insight
That Shapes Delivery
Before a single fibre is laid, the most successful projects are already engineered for success.
What we deliver
Funders want certainty. Policymakers want compliance. You need speed and credibility.
Our strategic planning services help align all three, delivering the technical clarity, stakeholder confidence, and regulatory insight needed for successful infrastructure projects.
MDM’s Strategic Planning & Assessment offering combines decades of subsea delivery experience, regulatory expertise, and EU funding knowledge to help clients develop projects that are feasible, fundable, and future-proof. Our track record of delivering under pressure speaks for itself.
Our feasibility work ensures every project begins with a full understanding of opportunity and risk. MDM delivers independent, data-driven assessments that help validate cable routes, identify constraints, and align planning assumptions with technical reality.
What’s Included:
- Desktop studies using multi-source marine data
- Environmental and socio-political risk flagging
- Evaluation of seabed conditions, UXO risk zones, and landing options
- Stakeholder mapping and jurisdictional analysis
- Recommendations for optimal route alignment
Once the concept is validated, we move into the engineering detail that determines your project’s viability, cost, and resilience. MDM provides route planning services that combine deep seabed intelligence with operational foresight – from initial routing to future maintenance considerations.
What’s Included:
- Detailed marine and terrestrial route planning
- Constraint mapping (UXO zones, protected areas, cable crossings, fishing zones, etc.)
- Selection of cable protection strategies (burial, armouring, etc.)
- Alignment with landing site strategies and permitting realities
- Resilience planning for future repair access and climate risks
Permitting complexity is one of the more challenging risks to manage in subsea projects, and one of MDM’s key strengths.
We develop clear, phase-appropriate permitting roadmaps that align with each jurisdiction’s legal frameworks while supporting funding and stakeholder timelines.
What’s Included:
- Multi-jurisdiction permitting analysis and roadmap development
- Identification of competent authorities and submission pathways
- Risk-based sequencing of permitting milestones
- Early engagement strategies to reduce friction with regulators
- Technical documentation support and review
Infrastructure projects that overlook environmental or archaeological risks pay the price in delays and political fallout.
MDM helps de-risk these factors early with clear, data-driven impact assessments and mitigation planning.
What’s Included:
- Marine and terrestrial environmental impact assessments (EIAs)
- Archaeological desk-based assessments (DBAs) and surveys
- Sensitive habitat identification and avoidance routing
- Mitigation planning aligned with EU and national standards
- Support with public consultation documentation
Public infrastructure requires public confidence.
MDM helps craft a narrative that speaks to policymakers, regulators, and communities, (not just engineers) ensuring your project gets the support it needs at the right moments.
What’s Included:
- Stakeholder mapping (regulators, local authorities, coastal communities, etc.)
- Development of engagement strategies and talking points
- Public benefit framing (connectivity, sovereignty, resilience)
- Support with communications to non-technical audiences
- Guidance for public hearings and consultations
Testimonial
MDM & Orange Boost Europe’s Digital Resilience with the Pisces Cable
Discover how MDM and Orange are transforming Europe’s digital resilience through Pisces: an ambitious subsea cable system that bypasses the UK to connect Ireland, France, Spain, and Portugal via sovereign infrastructure.
Explore Our Full Service Offering
From planning to post-installation support, MDM is with you every step of the way
Project Execution
Engineering-driven cable laying operations using industry-leading technology and expertise. MDM manages marine surveys, vessel coordination, cable burial, and protection strategies to ensure a secure and efficient installation.
Landing Activities
Seamless integration of subsea cables with onshore infrastructure. MDM oversees shore-end landings, cable termination, and coordination with local authorities to guarantee a smooth transition from sea to land.
Ongoing Maintenance and Repairs
Proactive monitoring, fault detection, and rapid-response repair services to keep subsea networks operational. MDM provides periodic inspections, emergency repair capabilities, and long-term maintenance solutions to minimize downtime and protect critical infrastructure.