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News18
17-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Russia And China May Attack Undersea Internet Cables, Report Warns. Which Countries Are At Risk?
The report warned of increasing sabotage threats to undersea internet cables near the Baltic Sea and Taiwan, involving suspected Russian and Chinese actors. The threat of sabotage to undersea internet cables is rising, particularly in regions near the Baltic Sea and Taiwan, according to a new report by US cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. The report warned that incidents involving suspected Russian and Chinese state-linked actors are increasing and could pose serious risks to the global internet infrastructure. Submarine cables carry over 99% of the world's intercontinental data traffic. While many disruptions have historically been caused by accidents or natural events, a growing number of incidents now point to possible state-sponsored interference. The report identified nine significant incidents in 2024 and 2025 involving submarine cables in the Baltic Sea and off the coast of Taiwan. These include the severing of two cables between Lithuania and Sweden last November, an incident investigators attributed to a Chinese vessel dragging its anchor. In December, a Russian oil tanker was seized after severing cables between Finland and Estonia. In waters near Taiwan, a Chinese-crewed freighter was reported to have cut cables to the outlying Penghu Islands in February after repeatedly manoeuvring in a zigzag pattern over the cable routes. A month earlier, a Chinese-owned cargo ship was cited as the likely cause of damage to a Taiwan-US cable. 'Campaigns attributed to Russia in the North Atlantic-Baltic region and China in the western Pacific are likely to increase in frequency as tensions rise," the report warned. Recorded Future said that while it is difficult to definitively attribute recent incidents to state-sponsored sabotage, the activities 'align with both Russia and China's strategic objectives, recently observed activities and current deep-sea capabilities." The report warned that a highly disruptive attack on multiple deep-sea cables- requiring access to difficult-to-reach areas of the ocean floor- would almost certainly involve state-sponsored actors. Such an operation, the report said, would most likely take place shortly before the outbreak of any open conflict. Major Global Disruptions Happened Elsewhere Despite the increased activity around the Baltic and Taiwan, the most severe disruptions to global connectivity occurred in other regions. In February 2024, a Houthi missile strike in the Red Sea led a ship to drag its anchor across several cables, causing widespread network disruptions in the Middle East. A month later, an underwater rock slide in West Africa damaged cables and in May, a cable-dragging incident off the coast of South Africa triggered further outages. Which Countries Are Most Vulnerable? The report identified certain vulnerable European island nations- including Malta, Cyprus and Ireland- whose reliance on submarine cables for international communication makes them more exposed to potential disruption. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: July 17, 2025, 19:13 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Time of India
Taiwan jails Chinese ship captain for damaging undersea cables
TAIPEI: A Taiwanese court sentenced the Chinese captain of a ship to three years in jail on Thursday after finding him guilty of intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, in a case that alarmed Taiwan officials. Prosecutors said the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, damaging it. The court in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified only by his family name, Wang, was guilty of damaging the cables, though added he had denied the crime and that he can appeal. Wang admitted that he told the crew to drop anchor, but denied that he was guilty of damaging the cables, and that he was merely negligent in his duties, the court said in a statement. The court found that the captain had allowed the cargo ship to "wander", and that the cables broke due to the pulling of the anchor, it added. Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom suffered losses of more than T$17 million ($576,564) in repair costs, the court said. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Reuters was not able to locate a contact for a representative of Wang. China has previously accused Taiwan of "manipulating" possible Chinese involvement in the case, saying it was casting aspersions before the facts were clear. Seven other crew members of the ship have already been deported after prosecutors decided there was insufficient evidence against them. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has reported five cases of sea cable malfunctions this year, compared with three each in 2024 and 2023, according to its digital ministry.
The Star
12-06-2025
- The Star
Taiwan jails Chinese ship captain for damaging undersea cables
TAIPEI: A Taiwanese court sentenced the Chinese captain of a ship to three years in jail on Thursday (June 12) after finding him guilty of intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, in a case that alarmed Taiwan officials. Prosecutors said the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, damaging it. The court in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified only by his family name, Wang, was guilty of damaging the cables, though added he had denied the crime and that he can appeal. Wang admitted that he told the crew to drop anchor, but denied that he was guilty of damaging the cables, and that he was merely negligent in his duties, the court said in a statement. The court found that the captain had allowed the cargo ship to "wander", and that the cables broke due to the pulling of the anchor, it added. Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom suffered losses of more than T$17 million (US$576,564) in repair costs, the court said. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Reuters was not able to locate a contact for a representative of Wang. China has previously accused Taiwan of "manipulating" possible Chinese involvement in the case, saying it was casting aspersions before the facts were clear. Seven other crew members of the ship have already been deported after prosecutors decided there was insufficient evidence against them. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has reported five cases of sea cable malfunctions this year, compared with three each in 2024 and 2023, according to its digital ministry. (US$1 = 29.4850 Taiwan dollars) - Reuters
Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Straits Times
Taiwan jails Chinese ship captain for damaging undersea cables
TAIPEI - A Taiwanese court sentenced the Chinese captain of a ship to three years in jail on June 12 after finding him guilty of intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, in a case that alarmed Taiwan officials. Prosecutors said the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off south-western Taiwan, damaging it. The court in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified only by his family name, Wang, was guilty of damaging the cables, though added he had denied the crime and that he can appeal. Wang admitted that he told the crew to drop anchor, but denied that he was guilty of damaging the cables, and that he was merely negligent in his duties, the court said in a statement. The court found that the captain had allowed the cargo ship to 'wander', and that the cables broke due to the pulling of the anchor, it added. Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom suffered losses of more than T$17 million (S$736,000) in repair costs, the court said. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Reuters was not able to locate a contact for a representative of Wang. China has previously accused Taiwan of 'manipulating' possible Chinese involvement in the case, saying it was casting aspersions before the facts were clear. Seven other crew members of the ship have already been deported after prosecutors decided there was insufficient evidence against them. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has reported five cases of sea cable malfunctions in 2025 , compared with three each in 2024 and 2023, according to its digital ministry. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Al Jazeera
11-04-2025
- Al Jazeera
Taiwan charges captain of China-linked ship with damaging subsea cable
Taiwanese prosecutors have formally charged the captain of a Chinese-crewed cargo ship that Taipei says severed one of its subsea cables earlier this year. The Togo-flagged Hong Tai 58 was detained by Taiwan's coastguard in February near the site of a cable breakdown amid allegations that it had deliberately dropped its anchor to cause damage. The ship's captain, who was only identified to the public by his surname Wang, was charged on Friday with being responsible for the incident, the prosecutors said. Seven Chinese nationals who were on board the ship will not be charged, and will be transported back to China, the prosecutors added. The case marks a first for Taiwan, where subsea cables have become the latest front in what is described as 'hybrid warfare' or 'grey zone activity' with China. The terms refer to low-grade coercive acts such as sabotage that hold a certain degree of plausible deniability. China has long claimed Taiwan, an island with a population of 23 million, as a province of the mainland and has threatened to annex it by force, if necessary. China has yet to reply to the charges against Wang, but it has previously accused Taipei of 'manipulating' the facts of the accident to cast Beijing in a bad light. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, previously described the subsea cable incident as a 'common maritime accident'. Wang declined to provide Taiwanese authorities with information about the ship's ownership, according to prosecutors, but the Hong Tai 58 is believed to be a so-called Chinese 'dark ship' acting unofficially on behalf of Beijing. 'Dark ships' have earned their name due to the practice of broadcasting multiple or false identities to maritime authorities. Sometimes the vessels may turn off identification signals to avoid detection, according to industry experts. Since 2023, there have been at least 11 cases of subsea cable breakdowns around Taiwan, although some were later ruled as accidents or due to the old age of the equipment. Subsea cables are the backbone of the internet and global telecoms industry, but they are also susceptible to breakdowns from movements on the sea floor or human activity. Between 100 and 200 cable breakdowns occur each year, according to industry data, and proving damage as deliberate is notoriously difficult and a challenge for governments beyond Taipei. Countries around the Baltic Sea have also seen an uptick in subsea cable breakdowns since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and they have also struggled to bring legal cases against Chinese and Russia-linked ships and their owners.
