Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that a submarine communications cable in Taiwan’s northeastern waters has been damaged by a Cameroonian freighter on January 3rd. The Taiwanese Coast Guard commented that the freighter’s true intention cannot be determined without full investigation, but the possibility of “gray zone intrusion” by China cannot be ruled out either.
The cargo ship involved in the accident was registered as Cameroonian. The Coast Guard pointed out that after investigation, it was also double-registered as Tanzanian and using two sets of ship positioning systems AIS. Although it was a foreign ship, the seven crew members on board were all Chinese, and the ship is owned by a Hong Kong company, whose sole registered supervisor is Chinese citizen Guo Wenjie. The damaged cable is part of the Trans Pacific Express Cable System, connecting Taiwan and the West Coast of the United States. Due to poor weather conditions, the Coast Guard was unable to question the captain. Taiwan has requested the South Korean authorities to assist in the investigation at the ship’s next port of call – Busan.
Not long ago, multiple spots of European Baltic Sea submarine communications cables were damaged, all involving Chinese ships near the location of the incidents around the time of the incidents. The ships involved in such incidents are usually quite old and rarely engaged in commercial activities. The cargo ship this time is also in very bad condition, similar to those of the ships that make up Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
Source: CNA, January 6, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/202501060271.aspx
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202501050176.aspx