Thanks to local tweeter, @MillenniumQuay, for allowing me to use this photo of Alcatel Lucent's submarine cable laying ship, Ile De Batz, which was taken from Millennium Quay you may not be surprised to hear.
The ship was actually in the area as part of a day of activities yesterday to mark Alcatel-Lucent, based in Christchurch Way, receiving Queen's Award for Enterprise 2010. The award was presented by Colonel Cyril Young.
Read more about Alcatel and its role in making East Greenwich 'the home of communication'
Visits to the ship yesterday were available for the families of people who work at the Alcatel Greenwich site – and a very few lucky others, like me. We were given a little handout of facts and figures – but I am not sure that it will scan particularly well to ask Rob to reproduce here. Anyway – she was enormously impressive, and thank you to all the people who went to so much trouble to show us round and to be so attentive to visitors.
and PS
I got chatting to one of the journlists who was on board yesterday – here is his online report plus some pix
http://thefrontline.v3.co.uk/2010/08/onboard-a-fibre.html