Taiwanese authorities have detained a cargo ship crewed by Chinese nationals, which they suspect may have damaged an undersea communications cable near the island on Tuesday. This incident is the latest in a series of unclear events that have led to theories that China and Russia may be using cable sabotage to harass at sea.
The damaged cable connected Taiwan to the Penghu Islands, which belong to Taiwan and are located approximately 30 miles west of the main island. Taiwan’s Coast Guard stated that they are still investigating the incident and have not yet determined whether the cable damage was intentional or accidental.
Ou Yu-fei, a press officer for the coast guard, explained that initial evidence points to the detained ship, describing it as a dilapidated cargo carrier that goes by multiple names, including “Hong Tai 58.” The ship, according to the coast guard’s statement, received funding from China.
Ou acknowledged that while they cannot confirm if it was an act of sabotage, they are investigating the possibility based on evidence. He added that the ship may have used a false registration number and suddenly changed its name.
Ou also mentioned that the ship may have damaged the cable, either accidentally or intentionally, as it was leaving after being warned by a Chinese coast guard ship on Tuesday. He did not rule out the possibility of sabotage but emphasized that further investigation is needed to draw conclusions.
The damaged cable is one of several that connects the Penghu Islands to the main island. Communication services were rerouted after the damage was detected, and no major outage occurred.
Taiwan relies on undersea cables for internet connections with its outlying islands and the rest of the world. While cables can be damaged by natural factors or aging, the most common cause is when ships accidentally drag anchors or fishing equipment that scrape the sea floor.
Recent incidents off Taiwan and in the Baltic Sea have raised suspicions that China and Russia may be using commercial cargo ships or oil tankers to deliberately cut cables by dragging their anchors.
Two years ago, a cable between Taiwan and Matsu Island was severed, and Taiwanese officials believe a Chinese ship may have been involved. In January, two cables between Taiwan and Matsu suffered damage, but officials attributed it to natural deterioration. Since then, Taiwan’s government has increased monitoring of its undersea cables.
The ship suspected of involvement in the latest severing was monitored by Taiwan’s Coast Guard because it appeared to be lingering in areas with undersea cables off Taiwan’s southern coast.
Late on Tuesday, a Taiwanese coast guard patrol ship approached the cargo carrier and ordered it to leave as it was anchored in an area with undersea cables. After the ship pulled up its anchor and began moving around 3:24 a.m., the coast guard received a report of the severed cable. The ship was then brought into port for further investigation and the case has been passed on to prosecutors for additional inquiries.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/world/asia/taiwan-china-cable.html
