Tag - undersea-cables

 
 

UNDERSEA CABLES

A ship lays undersea fiber-optic cable off a beach near Bilbao, Spain, linking Europe and the U.S.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 24, 2026
Japan lays the groundwork for submarine cable resilience
Fiber-optic cables carry nearly all the world’s data between continents.
A Border Guard helicopter and a Coast Guard patrol ship Turva seize a vessel suspected of a subsea cable breach in the Gulf of Finland last December.
WORLD
Jun 8, 2026
Finland tests early-warning system detecting threats to subsea cables
Baltic Sea undersea telecommunications cables, power connections and gas pipelines have been damaged in several incidents since Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Monday. Only one repair vessel for cables, owned by United Arab Emirates-based e-Marine, is currently in the Persian Gulf.
WORLD / FOCUS
May 21, 2026
Iran’s threat to Strait of Hormuz submarine cables
Iran’s threat to impose “permits” on submarine fiber-optic cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz “calls international law into question,” said a former French naval officer.
A member of the Finnish Border Guard's Special Intervention Unit takes part in an exercise on an offshore patrol vessel, Turva, near Helsinki on the Baltic Sea, Finland, on Monday.
WORLD
Jan 27, 2026
Finland hopes to prevent cable damage with new surveillance center
The Baltic Sea region has been on ‍high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina at the European Union leaders' summit in Brussels on Dec. 18
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 5, 2026
Latvia police board vessel after Baltic Sea telecom cable breach
The ‍Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The coast of the Red Sea. Microsoft on Saturday said its Microsoft Azure users may experience increased latency due to multiple undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea.
WORLD
Sep 8, 2025
Red Sea cable cuts disrupt internet across Asia and the Middle East
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the damage, but an internet monitoring group identified failures affecting cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In this file photo taken on December 28, 2024 off Porkkalanniemi, Kirkkonummi, in the Gulf of Finland, Cook Islands-registered oil tanker Eagle S (center) is pictured next to Finnish border guard ship Uisko (left) and tugboat Ukko (right).
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 25, 2025
Suspects in Baltic Sea cable breaches on trial for sabotage in Finland
Investigators have concluded that the Eagle S tanker dragged its anchor along the seabed, severing four internet lines and a power cable connecting Finland and Estonia.
Silver Dania, a Norwegian-owned ship suspected of cable sabotage in the Baltic Sea, whose crew are Russian citizens, in the port of Tromso, Norway, where it has been brought for investigation, on Jan. 31.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 22, 2025
Lawmakers want U.S. tech CEOs to address concerns about submarine cables
Washington has been sounding the alarm about the network of more than 400 subsea cables that handle 99% of international internet traffic and about threats from China and Russia.
A screenshot of a submarine cable map on TeleGeography’s website shows a network of cables connecting with Japan.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 16, 2025
The underlying risks to Japan’s undersea cables
What exactly are undersea cables, and how real is the threat of disruption in Japan?
The Silver Dania, a Norwegian-owned ship suspected of cable sabotage in the Baltic Sea, whose crew are Russian citizens, in Tromso, Norway, on Jan. 31
WORLD / Politics
Jun 2, 2025
Southeast Asia joins Europe’s calls to defend subsea cables
A spike in cable damage in European waters, particularly in the Baltic Sea, has heightened fears about the global network of subsea cables’ vulnerability.
Under the Economic Security Promotion Act, the government implements a range of measures to secure vital supply chains, from providing subsidies and low-interest loans to coordinating regulations, stockpiling essential goods and protecting advanced technologies.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 16, 2025
METI may list undersea cables and satellites as critical for economic security
The move comes amid an increasingly uncertain geo-economic climate, with global powers becoming more protectionist.
Taiwan said in January it suspected a China-linked ship of damaging an undersea cable off its northern coast; the ship owner denied the accusations.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 11, 2025
In a first, Taiwan charges Chinese ship captain with damaging undersea cables
The captain, surnamed Wang, has claimed innocence, but refused to provide details of the ship’s owner and “had a bad attitude,” Taiwanese prosecutors said.
The Taiwanese Coast Guard detains Togolese-registered, Chinese-crewed cargo ship Hongtai in Penghu, Taiwan, on Tuesday after a subsea telecoms cable was severed off the islands.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 26, 2025
China says Taiwan ‘manipulating’ undersea cable cutting incident
Taiwan’s coast guard said it detained a China-linked cargo ship on Tuesday after a cable to the Penghu Islands was disconnected.
The Togolese-registered ship Hongtai in Penghu, Taiwan. Taiwan detained a Chinese-crewed cargo ship after a subsea telecoms cable was severed off the island, the coast guard said.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 25, 2025
Taiwan detains Chinese-crewed ship after subsea cable cut
It is the latest in a series of Taiwanese undersea cable breakages, with previous incidents blamed on natural causes or Chinese ships.
A Chinese ship, the bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, is anchored and monitored by a Danish naval patrol vessel (unseen) in the sea of Kattegat, near the City of Granaa in Jutland, Denmark. Denmark's navy said on November 20, 2024 it was shadowing a Chinese cargo vessel in the Baltic Sea, a day after Finland and Sweden opened investigations into suspected sabotage of two severed undersea telecoms cables.
WORLD
Feb 25, 2025
Damage to Baltic Sea telecoms cable may have occurred in January
Swedish and Finnish police said they were investigating a suspected case of sabotage of the C-Lion1 cable running along the seabed from Finland to Germany.
Swedish Coast Guard vessel KBV033 (right) and vessel Vezhen are anchored outside Karlskrona, Sweden, on Saturday.
WORLD
Jan 28, 2025
Sweden seizes ship suspected of sabotage in Baltic Sea
Sabotage has not been confirmed, but many policymakers suggest activity could be malicious.
NATO naval vessel A803 is docked at the Ofelia Plads in Copenhagen Harbor, in Copenhagen on Sunday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 27, 2025
Sweden opens sabotage probe into Baltic undersea cable damage
There have been a string of incidents in which power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines have been damaged in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb attends a news conference on Tuesday in Helsinki.
WORLD
Jan 15, 2025
‘Holiday is over’ and Europe must boost defense, Finnish president says
Concern about the region’s security has mounted after the severing of several subsea telecom and power cables in recent months.
The oil tanker Eagle S sits anchored near the Port of Kilpilahti in Porvoo, on the Gulf of Finland, on Jan. 7. The vessel is believed to have dragged its anchor for long distances, damaging an undersea cable in late December.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 14, 2025
Baltic Sea cables damage can’t be accident, EU tech chief says
There have been three incidents involving damage caused to underwater power lines, data cables and a gas pipeline over the past 15 months in the Baltic Sea.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Feb 23, 2021
Digital network building in the Pacific
Japan and Australia have leading roles to play in helping digitalize the region through the use of undersea cables.

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