A ship suspected of deliberately cutting undersea cables has been detained by the Taiwanese Coast Guard after it failed to heed warnings to leave an area with cables near Taiwan’s southern coast. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning, when a coast guard patrol ship ordered the vessel to move away due to its proximity to the cables and anchored position.
The Chinese-flagged cargo carrier was watched closely by the Coast Guard since Saturday due to its lingering presence in areas with undersea cables. However, it initially refused to leave the area after being instructed to do so.
At 2:30 a.m., the ship pulled up its anchor and began moving, but just over half an hour later, a report was received that the cable had been cut. The coast guard quickly brought the vessel into port for further investigation.
The incident has raised concerns about China’s involvement in deliberate cable cutting, following similar incidents off Taiwan and in the Baltic Sea. The Taiwanese government has stepped up monitoring of its subsea cables in response to these incidents, and the case is now being sent to prosecutors for additional inquiries.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/world/asia/taiwan-china-cable.html