Odessa, Ukraine

Odessa, Ukraine: Submarine Cable Landing Point

Odessa is a major seaport city located on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea, in the south-west of Ukraine. Its position on the Black Sea makes it a natural candidate for submarine cable infrastructure connecting Ukraine to other littoral states in the region. One submarine cable lands at Odessa, linking Ukraine to Bulgaria, Georgia, and Turkey across the Black Sea corridor.

The cable landing at Odessa is part of the Kardesa system, a project that spans multiple Black Sea nations and places Odessa within a regional connectivity network rather than an intercontinental one. The Black Sea geography means that cables landing here operate within a relatively contained but strategically positioned maritime basin, connecting the western, eastern, and southern shores of that sea.

Cables Landing at Odessa

Kardesa is a submarine cable with a total length of 1,385 km, with a Ready for Service (RFS) date of 2027, currently at draft status. In addition to Odessa, Ukraine, the cable connects to landing points in Bulgaria, Georgia, and Turkey. The cable therefore spans the Black Sea, linking the northwestern Ukrainian coast with the Bulgarian coast to the west, the Turkish coast to the south, and the Georgian coast to the east. As a multi-country Black Sea cable, Kardesa establishes Odessa as a node within a regional submarine network connecting four distinct national territories.

Regional Context

Ukraine has three submarine cable landing points in total: Odessa, Kerch, and Osoviny, each hosting one cable. Odessa therefore shares an equal cable count with its two Ukrainian peers. Within the national submarine cable landscape, Odessa is one of three points at which Ukraine's submarine connectivity touches the sea, and it is the only landing point positioned on the northwestern Black Sea coast.

Network Role

Odessa functions as a single-cable landing point, serving as Ukraine's connection to the Kardesa system once that cable enters service in 2027. Through Kardesa, Odessa provides a submarine pathway linking Ukraine with three other Black Sea nations - Bulgaria, Georgia, and Turkey - enabling regional data exchange across the full width of the Black Sea basin. The cable's draft status means this role is forthcoming rather than currently operational.

As one of only three submarine cable landing points in Ukraine, Odessa's participation in the Kardesa system contributes to the overall breadth of Ukraine's submarine cable geography, extending the country's underwater connectivity to the eastern and southern shores of the Black Sea alongside the western Bulgarian coast.