Authorities in Taipei, Taiwan, have vowed to uncover the truth behind the seizure of a Chinese-crewed cargo ship suspected of damaging an undersea telecom cable. The Coast Guard Administration of Taiwan has raised concerns about potential “grey area intrusion” by China in this incident and other cases of cable damage in the region and in Europe. Despite suspicions pointing to China or Russia as likely culprits, no specific retaliatory measures have been announced. The complexity of proving sabotage and the frequency of cable faults due to various factors make it difficult to attribute blame in such incidents. Subsea cables, crucial for global communications, are also vulnerable to “hybrid warfare” tactics that offer plausible deniability to perpetrators. As investigations continue, the challenge remains in holding accountable those responsible for damaging undersea cables.
One such cause is anchors being dragged across a cable.