7th January 2025 – (Taipei) Taiwanese authorities are currently investigating a cargo ship registered under the Cameroon flag, believed to have damaged a subsea telecom cable northeast of the island. The Taiwan Coast Guard reported on Monday that the vessel, owned by a Hong Kong national and crewed by seven Chinese nationals, was intercepted on Friday after Chunghwa Telecom alerted them to the cable damage.
Following the interception, the ship was directed to return to waters off Keelung port for inspection. However, rough seas prevented coast guard personnel from boarding the vessel, and with time constraints, it was permitted to continue its journey to Busan, South Korea.
Taiwan has reached out to South Korean authorities for assistance with the investigation, as the ship also operates under the Tanzanian flag and emits two sets of automatic identification system signals. The coast guard noted that an analysis of the vessel’s historical trajectory has yet to clarify its true intentions, but it acknowledged the potential for the ship to be involved in grey-zone tactics—actions that fall short of outright military aggression.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory and has previously threatened military action to assert control over the self-governing island. In recent years, Beijing has increased military pressure on Taipei, which is concerned that China may disrupt communication links as part of its strategy to take over the island.
Chunghwa Telecom’s services resumed normal operations on Friday after activating a backup mechanism in response to the incident. This situation echoes previous incidents, such as the cutting of two undersea telecom lines serving Taiwan’s Matsu archipelago in February 2023, which locals attributed to potential actions by Chinese fishing vessels or sand dredgers.
