Telecommunications group France Telecom-Orange says authorities have kick-started investigations into a fire that broke out on board its undersea broadband cable repair ship, which carried 56 crew members.

The crew carrying out repairs on the Sat3-Safe undersea broadband cable off Namibia's coast were forced to abandon the vessel on 8 August after a fire broke out on board.

In a statement, the company said that all 56 crew members were safely recovered by a Namibian fishing vessel without injury or incident.

But investigations into the matter have started, with an enquiry extended as far as Mauritius where the ship was registered, say officials.

“Preliminary investigations have now started both by the insurance companies and the Namibian port authorities. An enquiry has also started in Mauritius, where the ship was registered,” said Tom Wright, Orange corporate press officer,

"The France Telecom-Orange Group is cooperating fully with all investigations,” he added.

He said while Friday’s mishap was serious, it did not directly impact on the mobile network operator's operations. Orange is also not operational in Namibia.

“This incident has no direct impact on Orange's or other operators' activities in the region,” said Wright.

"Solutions are being prepared to cover future maintenance operations with the help of other cable ships from West Africa and the Indian Ocean," he added.