Cable & Wireless Plc is expanding its cable-laying operations with the purchase of British Telecommunications Plc’s BT (Marine) Ltd subsidiary for around UKP40m: its own marine division has around 740 employees and turnover near to UKP80m and operates nine commercial cable ships, the world’s largest such fleet, submersible vehicles and sea ploughs; BT (Marine) has six cableships 540 staff and sales of UKP68m.
