Chinese-Crewed Ship Held In Taiwan For Severing Undersea Cable

Taiwanese authorities have detained a Chinese-crewed cargo ship suspected of severing an undersea communication cable connecting Taiwan to the Penghu Islands.

The incident occurred in the early hours of February 25, 2025, and there are concerns of potential sabotage, as the country is experiencing continued disruptions to its critical subsea infrastructure.

The Togo-flagged cargo vessel, identified as Hong Tai 58, was crewed by eight Chinese nationals and had been under surveillance by Taiwan’s Coast Guard since Saturday.

Officials stated that the ship had been lingering near sensitive undersea cable zones off Taiwan’s southwestern coast and had ignored multiple warnings to leave the area.

At approximately 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a Taiwanese Coast Guard patrol vessel moved closer to the ship, which was anchored near a restricted undersea cable area.

Shortly after, at 3:24 a.m., the Coast Guard received a report that the cable had been severed. The ship was immediately intercepted and escorted to a port in Tainan, where its crew was detained for further investigation.

Taiwan’s Coast Guard has not yet determined whether the damage was accidental or intentional. “We are not ruling out the possibility of sabotage,” said Coast Guard spokesperson Ou Yu-fei. “This was the only vessel in the area at the time of the incident, according to radar records.”

Investigators also found that the ship had used multiple names and might have employed a false registration number.

The severed cable is part of Taiwan’s crucial communication network, linking the main island to the Penghu Islands, located about 30 miles west.

While internet services were quickly rerouted, the incident has heightened concerns over potential “gray zone” tactics- coercive actions that fall below the threshold of direct military conflict.

Taiwan has reported five undersea cable malfunctions this year alone, compared to three in each of the previous two years.

Officials suspect that some of these incidents may be linked to Chinese vessels dragging anchors on the seabed, either deliberately or by accident.

In previous cases, Taiwanese authorities have stopped short of directly accusing Beijing of sabotage. However, recent incidents in Taiwan and the Baltic Sea, where Chinese-flagged ships were investigated for severing fibre-optic cables, have fueled growing concerns.

In January, Taiwanese officials suspected another Chinese-linked cargo vessel of damaging an international subsea cable near Taiwan’s northern coast.

Beijing has strongly rejected Taiwan’s suspicions, dismissing them as political manipulation. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said undersea cable damage is a “common maritime accident” that happens more than 100 times a year globally.

She accused Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of exaggerating the situation for political gain. “While the basic facts and liability for the accident have not yet been clarified, the DPP authorities have deliberately manipulated the situation,” Zhu said.

Taiwanese officials have categorised the case as a national security matter. A senior security official, speaking anonymously, stated that the ship’s prolonged presence in the area and failure to respond to Coast Guard warnings made the situation highly unusual.

In response to previous cable cuts in 2023 that disrupted internet access to the Matsu Islands, authorities increased monitoring of commercial vessels operating in sensitive maritime zones.

The undersea cables are responsible for transmitting over 95% of global internet traffic and securing an estimated $10 trillion in daily international trade, which makes the case serious.

Prosecutors are now conducting inquiries under national security-level guidelines. The investigators are analysing radar data, ship logs, and crew testimonies to determine whether the cable damage was a deliberate act or a maritime accident.

If found guilty of intentional sabotage, those responsible could face severe legal consequences under Taiwan’s national security laws.

References: NYTimes, Reuters

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