Possible sabotage Submarine cable damaged - Taiwan suspects Chinese ship
A cargo ship with a Chinese name is suspected of having damaged an undersea cable off the northeast coast of Taiwan.
06.01.2025, 06:43
06.01.2025, 06:44
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- On January 3, an undersea cable was damaged near Taiwan.
- The cargo ship "Shunxin39" is suspected of being responsible.
- The ship sails under the Cameroonian flag, but belongs to a company from Hong Kong.
A cargo ship with a Chinese name is suspected of having damaged an undersea cable off the north-east coast of Taiwan. As reported by the Taiwanese news agency CNA, the company Chunghwa Telecom reported damage to a four-core submarine cable in the north of the island republic on January 3.
The telecommunications provider suspects that the cargo ship "Shunxin39", which was in the area at the time, was responsible for the incident. The ship is officially sailing under the Cameroonian flag. However, according to Taiwanese experts, it belongs to a Hong Kong company with links to mainland China.
It could therefore be an act of sabotage by Beijing. Taiwanese authorities have not yet been able to question the captain of the freighter. They have now asked the authorities in South Korea for assistance, as the ship is due to arrive there in the coming days.
Incident reminiscent of "Yi Peng 3" in the Baltic Sea
Relations between Taiwan and China have been tense for decades. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and is seeking reunification, using military force if necessary. Taiwan, on the other hand, sees itself as a democratic state with its own government.
Submarine cables are subject to frequent disruptions, often caused by accidents such as ship anchors. However, data and power cables are also part of the critical infrastructure and can therefore become the target of military operations.
In November, for example, two fiber optic cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged within a short space of time. These were a cable running between Sweden and Lithuania and one between Finland and Germany. The cause is still unclear in both cases.
The Swedish authorities are investigating possible sabotage. The investigators are focusing on a Chinese ship named "Yi Peng 3", which is said to have passed the affected parts of the cables at the time in question.
