Undersea cables damaged. Feb 24, 2025 · Swedish police have begun investigating the latest suspected incident of undersea cable damage in the Baltic Sea. These cables are often long, remote and costly to monitor, leaving them vulnerable to damage by natural events, shipping or even deliberate sabotage. Dec 27, 2024 · FRANKFURT, Germany — Finnish authorities detained a ship linked to neighboring Russia as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables, police said, in the Nov 19, 2024 · The C-Lion1 cable between Finland and Germany was severed in the Baltic Sea, its operator said, after damage was reported to another cable linking Lithuania and Sweden. Here is a chronological summary of the events. Mar 15, 2024 · Thirteen countries across Africa experienced Internet outages on Thursday due to damage to submarine fiber optic cables. In Q4 2024, there were a number of incidents of high-priority cable damage in the Baltic Sea. Many are accidents – but not all. This is just the latest in a string of incidents since Nov 20, 2024 · A Chinese-flagged cargo ship draws attention after undersea internet cables were severed, leading European countries to investigate possible sabotage. The 2022 attack on the Nord Stream pipeline and other recent developments have highlighted the vulnerability of undersea critical infrastructure. Our modern lives rely upon these critical seafloor assets more than ever. Subsea cables have a long history reaching back almost two centuries, starting with the first international subsea cable, which was laid across the English Channel in 1850. Nov 19, 2024 · Germany’s defense minister said damage to two fiber-optic cables on the sea floor appeared deliberate, but a culprit was not known. May 3, 2017 · The majority of damage to submarine cables comes from human activity, primarily fishing and anchoring, not sharks. Jan 14, 2025 · This month, in the latest in a spate of such incidents, crucial undersea cables connecting U. A 1,170km Nov 22, 2024 · In short Around 150 subsea cable faults occur annually, usually caused by accidental damage from a ship’s anchor or fishing trawler. Concerns about potential sabotage immediately arose due to other recent outages in the Baltic Sea region. Feb 24, 2025 · This paper highlights the scale of the issue of damage from ships’ anchors and provides guidance on measures to mitigate anchor-related damage to submarine cables. Recent months have seen a sharp Jun 2, 2025 · In this post, we’ll take a closer look at submarine cable damage and repair, what causes these issues, how they’re fixed, and what claims and remedial measures are in place in 2025 to handle such incidents. Nov 21, 2024 · While damage is more common in some areas than others, these breaks—or “faults”—eventually happen to almost every cable. Nov 18, 2024 · Two undersea fibre-optic communications cables in the Baltic Sea, including one linking Finland and Germany, were severed, raising suspicions of sabotage by bad actors, countries and companies Dec 27, 2024 · Nato has said it will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea, and Estonia has sent a patrol ship to protect its Estlink1 undersea power cable, after Russia was accused of sabotaging its Mar 18, 2025 · Some of the cables damaged in recent incidents were made by Swedish cable company Hexatronic, says Christian Priess, head of Central Europe, Middle East, Africa and submarine cable business at the Nov 19, 2024 · European officials are looking toward Russia after two submarine internet cables in the Baltic Sea were suddenly disrupted in an apparent sabotage operation, just weeks after the United States Dec 2, 2024 · On the same day that a submarine cable suspected of having been cut by a Chinese ship was repaired, two major telco bodies convened a submarine telecommunication cable resilience advisory board. The consequences of damage to undersea assets can incur costs of billions of dollars, with the greatest risk occurring in areas that rely on a single subsea cable. Dec 30, 2024 · Police in Finland probing damage to undersea cables say a shadowy Russia-linked ship may have dragged its anchor for more than 60 miles. S. On the evening of the same day authorities were informed of disruptions to four telecommunications cables. Governments and companies can take steps to improve resilience and enhance maritime awareness. Nov 21, 2024 · Germany's defense minister said damage to two data cables in the Baltic Sea appeared to be acts of sabotage. The new incident was reported on 21 February, and involves suspected sabotage of a telecoms cable connecting Sweden and Germany. MyBroadband reports the West African Cable System (WACS) and the South Atlantic 3 (SAT-3/WASC) undersea cables have been broken. It is the goal of the International Cable Protection Committee Dec 26, 2024 · Finnish police say authorities detained a ship linked to neighboring Russia as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables. Nov 19, 2024 · The damage to two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea may have been caused by Russia, according Boris Pistorius. Jan 28, 2025 · NATO officials have expressed alarm over suspected sabotage attempts on underwater cables and pipelines that connect nine countries in the Baltic Sea region. In April 2022, vandals damaged several cable landing sites in France, cutting multiple cables, disrupting and degrading services in several parts of France. Over recent years, the number of cables has considerably increased. Jan 28, 2025 · At least 11 undersea cables have been damaged in 15 months. In a world which relies heavily on digital telephony, internet, and the transmission of electricity, subsea cables have gained an important and essential Aug 23, 2024 · When damage occurs, prompt and precise repairs are essential to restore connectivity and ensure the continued reliability of these critical systems. Dec 26, 2024 · Finland seized an oil tanker after the latest in a series of disruptions to undersea infrastructure. Mar 4, 2025 · Internet connectivity between parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe suddenly slowed during Q1 2024 when three undersea cables were damaged in the Red Sea. Some have been cast as acts of sabotage, pinning blame on Jan 29, 2025 · On Sunday, an undersea cable ferrying data between Sweden and Latvia was damaged, most likely as a result of an external force, Latvia said. Nov 24, 2024 · Every year, between 100 and 150 incidents involving subsea cables that carry internet connections from one country to another are recorded. Undersea cables for data transmission have been around since the mid-1800s, and you can learn more Aug 8, 2023 · Two subsea cables have been cut off the coast of west Africa. Nov 23, 2024 · A series of unexplained incidents causing damage to pipelines and cables in the Baltic Sea has occurred in the past two years. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC . A power cable in the Baltic Sea was severed last week. May 21, 2024 · The United Nations-recognised Yemenese government indicated in February 2024, that the Houthi rebels lack equipment to target deep-sea digital infrastructure assets, nonetheless, they have demonstrated their intentions of causing damage to the cables. Nov 21, 2024 · Investigators are trying to crack the mystery of how two undersea internet cables in the Baltic Sea were cut within hours of each other, with European officials saying they believe the disruption Mar 4, 2024 · Topline At least four undersea fiber optic cables, which carry approximately 97% of all Internet traffic, were damaged last week in the Red Sea, telecommunications providers are reporting, and Jan 27, 2025 · Prosecutors have launched an investigation after an undersea cable leading to Latvia was damaged. Nov 25, 2024 · With the Baltic Sea cable damaged, questions are circulating as to what the impact of a damaged subsea cables could have on data and communications A 1,200km subsea cable connecting Finland and Germany was severed earlier in November 2024 near Oland Island in Sweden. Mar 7, 2024 · Recent damage to three undersea cables in the Red Sea highlights that there are no easy solutions for protecting critical undersea infrastructure. Mar 8, 2024 · Damage to three undersea fiber cables in the Red Sea has forced internet providers to reroute a massive amount of data traffic. The outage, which occurred at 12:26 PM, resulted in a reduction from 1,016 Nov 19, 2024 · Germany on mysterious broken cables in Baltic Sea: ‘It is sabotage’ Damaged undersea infrastructure has sparked political alarm in Berlin and Helsinki. On 25 December 2024 at 12:26 EET, the Estlink 2 submarine power cable had an unplanned failure, reducing the Estonia – Finland cross-border capacity from 1,016 to 358 MW. In each of those cases, the cables incur so much damage that they’re severed or cut and have to be fixed in some way. Submarine data cables are located under the ocean, and connect people around the world with data and information, while submarine electrical cables transfer electricity, such as those used on wind farms. Communication between Taiwan proper and outlying islands depends mainly on underwater cable Feb 21, 2025 · A series of undersea cables and gas pipelines have been damaged in suspected attacks since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting Nato to launch a monitoring mission in the sea last month. Apr 23, 2021 · It’s Fun Fact Friday and today we’re going to talk about repairing submarine cables. This happened within the same Jan 9, 2025 · When a Taiwanese telecoms company detected that an international undersea cable was damaged earlier this month, it worked to divert internet traffic from the broken line to keep customers on the Mar 4, 2024 · Damage to submarine cables in the Red Sea is disrupting telecommunications networks and forcing providers to reroute as much as a quarter of traffic between Asia, Europe and the Middle East Jan 7, 2025 · Taiwanese authorities are investigating a Chinese-owned cargo ship suspected of damaging an undersea internet cable northeast of the island, Taiwan’s coast guard said on Monday. Feb 3, 2025 · Submarine cables are well protected against natural threats but are often inadequately protected against deliberate damage by hostile states, intelligence agencies or terrorists. Some countries, including Ghana and Nigeria, are still suffering from Feb 3, 2025 · Submarine cables are well protected against natural threats but are often inadequately protected against deliberate damage by hostile states, intelligence agencies or terrorists. This is the story of the 22 aging ships that fix them. Jan 28, 2025 · NATO is deploying eyes in the sky and on the Baltic Sea to protect cables and pipelines that stitch together the nine countries with shores on Baltic waters. Though the global network of submarine cables is designed to be resilient through ensuring a redundancy and diversity of cable routes and landings, it is important to be aware of future changes in human activities that can interact with submarine cables. Nov 18, 2024 · Two undersea internet cables in the Baltic Sea have been suddenly disrupted, according to local telecommunications companies, amid fresh warnings of possible Russian interference with global Nov 20, 2024 · The C-Lion1 cable, which runs between Finland and Germany was damaged on Monday, the day after similar damage to a cable that crosses the Baltic between Lithuania and Sweden, with the incidents occurring off the Swedish islands of Oland and Gotland respectively. Jan 27, 2025 · An undersea fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said, triggering an investigation by local and NATO maritime forces Nov 19, 2024 · Two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were disrupted in quick succession, NATO officials and local telecommunications companies have said. In December 2023, a Telegram channel affiliated with the Houthi rebels shared a map of networks of submarine cables in the Mediterranean Sea Jan 26, 2025 · Another undersea data cable, this time connecting Sweden and Latvia, has been severed in the Baltic Sea, officials from both countries said Sunday. On 17–18 November 2024, [1] two submarine telecommunication cables, the BCS East-West Interlink and C-Lion1 fibre-optic cables were disrupted in the Baltic Sea. As the demand for global communication continues to grow, the importance of submarine cables, along with high-quality underwater connectors and cables, will only increase. An estimated 90% of all internet traffic between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East travels via 14 submarine cables in the Red Sea. Dec 26, 2024 · It's the latest in a series of incidents in the region in which undersea cables appear to have been damaged. Jan 26, 2025 · VILNIUS - An undersea fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Jan 26, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said, adding its navy had dispatched a patrol boat to Feb 25, 2025 · The cable that was damaged connected Taiwan to the Penghu Islands, which belong to Taiwan and lie about 30 miles west of the main island. Nov 30, 2024 · The cables at the heart of the lightspeed, globe-spanning internet run across the grimy, perilous, inaccessible deeps of the sea, in places no one ever sees or visits – until the cables break. Jan 26, 2025 · An undersea fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said, prompting NATO to deploy patrol ships to the area and Mar 10, 2025 · As undersea cables break off Europe and Taiwan, proving sabotage is tough Officials have pointed to China and Russia as likely culprits, but legal challenges make prosecutions difficult. The narrative of the story should highlight the resilience of subsea cables and the Internet as a whole to continue working despite these and other faults. allies were damaged or severed. Nov 27, 2024 · The International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) Responds to Recent Subsea Cable Damage in the Baltic Sea. Despite this, the recent subsea cable faults in the Baltic Sea has caused many to speculate foul play. Feb 21, 2025 · The bloc announced new steps to prevent threats to undersea lines after Sweden discovered damage to one east of Gotland island. Two cables Jan 27, 2025 · The Swedish authorities on Monday boarded a ship in connection with what they described as “gross sabotage” after an undersea communications cable in the Baltic Sea was damaged a day earlier. Germany's defense minister. This Mar 26, 2024 · Undersea cables must be understood as critical infrastructure, and their vulnerability – to intentional tampering and accidental damage – acknowledged. Taiwan Coast Feb 21, 2025 · Swedish and Finnish police are investigating a suspected case of sabotage of an undersea telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea, and Sweden's coast guard has deployed a vessel to the area where multiple Mar 4, 2024 · Damage to submarine cables in the Red Sea is disrupting telecommunications networks and forcing providers to reroute as much as a quarter of traffic between Asia, Europe and the Middle East Jan 9, 2025 · When a Taiwanese telecoms company detected that an international undersea cable was damaged earlier this month, it worked to divert internet traffic from the broken line to keep customers on the Nov 19, 2024 · WASHINGTON − Germany said damage to two underwater telecommunications cables linking Germany to Finland and Sweden to Lithuania is "sabotage," in an incident reminiscent of the 2022 bombing of Dec 18, 2024 · Analysis shows that the "Yi Peng 3" performed a suspicious maneuver 10 days before undersea cables were damaged. If cables go out of service so often, why don’t I hear about it? Most of the time, cable faults only make the news if multiple systems go offline or damage occurs in geopolitical hotspots. Nov 20, 2024 · A Chinese cargo ship has been stopped off the coast of Denmark. A 1,170km Oct 26, 2023 · Submarine fiber optic cables carry 99 percent of all transoceanic digital communication. Apr 29, 2025 · The Committee is investigating how well the UK is able to defend its undersea infrastructure, including the fibre optic cables that carry vast amounts of data between countries. Officials are investigating it for severing underwater telecommunications cables connecting a handful of northern European countries. Jan 9, 2025 · Taiwan and China traded barbs over what the government in Taipei suspects was a Chinese-linked ship's damage to an undersea communications cable off the island's coast, an incident that has raised Dec 3, 2024 · The first instance was in October 2023, when the anchor of a Hong Kong–flagged, Chinese-registered vessel named NewNew Polar Bear damaged two subsea data cables and a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. But 97% of the world's communications, including trillions of Jan 29, 2025 · On Sunday, an undersea cable ferrying data between Sweden and Latvia was damaged, most likely as a result of an external force, Latvia said. Jan 5, 2025 · It follows incidents in which Chinese ships came under scrutiny after fibre optic cables in the Baltic Sea were severed last November and a gas pipeline and cable were damaged there in October 2023. Could this be a new form of underwater warfare? In this picture the C Feb 21, 2025 · Swedish authorities say they are investigating a damaged cable that was discovered in the Baltic Sea, the latest in a string of recent incidents of ruptured undersea cables that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the region. May 13, 2024 · Since Sunday, slow internet speeds have been experienced in East and South Africa after damages to major subsea cables supplying broadband across the continent through the Red Sea. Several European countries have launched investigations. Jan 26, 2025 · Sabotaged Baltic Sea Cables: This is what has happened Several underwater cables in the Baltic Sea have been damaged or destroyed in recent months, but similar incidents have also occurred earlier. Dec 3, 2024 · The first instance was in October 2023, when the anchor of a Hong Kong–flagged, Chinese-registered vessel named NewNew Polar Bear damaged two subsea data cables and a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. The two cables reportedly suffered breaks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon due to two separate rock falls in the Congo Canyon on Sunday. Dec 31, 2024 · Finland says a ship affiliated with Russia's "shadow fleet" is linked to a 60-mile-long anchor drag mark on the seafloor. Nov 19, 2024 · German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said damage to two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea looks like an act of sabotage and a "hybrid action", without knowing who is to blame. Nov 19, 2024 · European officials are looking toward Russia after two submarine internet cables in the Baltic Sea were suddenly disrupted in an apparent sabotage operation, just weeks after the United States Jan 7, 2025 · Taiwan’s coast guard has said that it suspects a ship damaged an undersea communications cable over the weekend, but that bad weather prevented its personnel from boarding the vessel to investigate. Who is behind it? The cables are typically the width of a garden hose. This paper examines two different legal regimes—the law of the sea and the law on the use of force—to ascertain the extent to which each applies to damage The consequences of damage to undersea assets can incur costs of billions of dollars, with the greatest risk occurring in areas that rely on a single subsea cable. What happens to cables when they are old and turned off? Cables are engineered with a minimum design life of 25 years, but there is nothing magical about this time span. The Estlink-2 cable suffered a sudden failure on Wednesday, Finnish Prime Minister Mar 24, 2025 · Learn how to address submarine cable damage with strategies for effective maintenance and repair, reducing downtime and ensuring reliable connectivity Nov 18, 2024 · The Finnish network company Cinia said Monday it is investigating a broken undersea internet cable connecting Finland to Germany — in a submarine incident that also sparked political alarm in Berlin and Helsinki. Recent intentional and unintentional acts and natural events have damaged undersea telecommunication cables and disrupted communications. On 17–18 November 2024, [1] two submarine telecommunication cables, the BCS East-West Interlink and C-Lion1 fibre-optic cables were disrupted in the Baltic Sea. Dec 26, 2024 · On Christmas Day, 25 December 2024, the EstLink 2 power transmission cable, which connects Finland and Estonia, suffered an unexpected failure, significantly reducing the cross-border capacity between the two countries. During the last quarter of the year, two major submarine cables were also severed, sparking investigations across Finland, Sweden, Germany, and Lithuania. Jan 26, 2025 · STOCKHOLM/VILNIUS (Reuters) -An undersea fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said, prompting NATO to deploy patrol Apr 16, 2024 · The global internet relies on 800,000 miles of undersea cables that are constantly breaking. "We are deeply concerned about the severed undersea cable connecting Finland and Feb 6, 2025 · This chart shows incidents of damage to underwater cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea (2022-2025). The incident prompted Sweden to launch a Aug 5, 2024 · Sea vessels from neighboring countries have repeatedly damaged submarine cables connecting Taiwan proper with outlying islands, a budget review report published by the National Audit Office showed. ffoi kvwspc prkvux cbpim trtwlj piutv zaipyv tev xqbpic ftq