News

The captain of the 'Hongtai 58' denied on Feb 27 that his vessel had damaged the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable between Taiwan proper and Penghu. The Tainan District Prosecutors Office has requested the detention of the the man, surnamed Wang (王). The Tainan District Court said on Feb 27 that following confessions, witness testimonies, and supporting evidence, Wang was suspected of breaching the Telecommunications Management Act. The court suspected his involvement in the crime was significant.Wang is a Chinese national with no fixed residence in Taiwan, and if released on bail, there was a risk of him fleeing. The investigation has yet to clarify Wang’s role and the extent of his involvement alongside other accomplices. If released on bail, the court said Wang might contact his accomplices, posing a risk of collusion with co-conspirators and witnesses. The court determined that Wang’s actions led to the disruption of inter-island communications. Given the severity of the crime, the court ruled to remand him in custody and hold him incommunicado. The 'Hong Tai 58' was anchored six nautical miles northwest of Tainan's Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, about half a mile north of the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable. On Feb 25 at around 3 a.m., the Chunghwa Telecom reported the cable had broken 11 kilometres northwest of Jiangjun Fishing Harbor. After receiving the report of the cable break, a Coast Guard vessel intercepted the 'Hong Tai 58' and escorted it to Anping Port. The Coast Guard then handed over the eight Chinese crew members to Tainan prosecutors for investigations.Following questioning on Feb 26, the Tainan District Prosecutors Office requested the detention of Wang. The other seven crew members were placed under residential restrictions, barred from leaving the country, and subjected to electronic monitoring. Report with photo: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6047423

On Feb 16, 2025, at 2 a.m., the 'Pelicana' was boarded by four perpetrators, armed with knives, about two nautical miles northwest of Pulau in pos. 1° 3.72' N 103° 41.43' E, in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Singapore Strait. The intruders stole electrical and engine spares and escaped. No crew members were injured.

On Feb 25, 2025, the Taiwan Coastguard has detained the 'Hongtai 58' with eight Chinese crew members on board, for suspected sabotage. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03 a.m. from the Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7 kilometres off the coast of Tainan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving the report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the 'Hong Tai (宏泰)', which was anchored near the cable, The ship was in the area from Feb 22 at about 7:10 p.m. until around the time when Chunghwa Telecom reported that the cable had been severed, When the CGA received another report at 3 a.m. that the cable had been severed and that external force could have been responsible, it stopped the vessel and called for reinforcements. Although the Coastguard personnel could not board and inspect the ship due to a difference in height, it was escorted back to port in Tainan, where prosecutors have started their investigation after detaining the crew. Furthermore, the AIS not match what it identified itself as over the radio or what is written on the hull. The case was being “handled in accordance with national security-level principles. Whether the cause of the undersea cable breakage was intentional sabotage or a simple accident remains to be clarified by further investigation.” After the cable was severed, the digital ministry ordered the company to redirect traffic to other cables connecting Taiwan’s main island to its offshore islands. The company was also instructed to add the cable to its repair schedule, coordinating with a repair vessel currently in Kaohsiung working to fix the previously damaged Taiwan-Matsu No. 2 and No. 3 cables. Those two cables are expected to be fully completed by the end of this month and next month, respectively, with the cable connecting Penghu to be fixed afterward. The ministry has submitted a report to the Executive Yuan labeling Taiwan’s undersea cables as critical infrastructure Reports with photo and video: https://hongkongfp.com/2025/02/25/taiwans-coast-guard-detains-chinese-crewed-ship-after-subsea-cable-cut/ https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/25/world/video/taiwan-detain-chinese-crewed-ship-undersea-cable-digvid https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-25/taiwan-detains-china-linked-ship-after-undersea-cable-incident/104981932 https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!international/taiwan-detains-chinese-crewed-ship-after-subsea-cable-cut-enn25022504184

On Feb 22, 2025, at 3.10 a.m. the 'Cycladic Spire' was boarded by the perpetrators, armed with Knives and gun-like objects, at the Balikpapan Anchorage in pos. 1° 2.75' N 103° 39.23' E, about 3.5 nautical miles west of Pulau Cula in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait. The intruders stole engine spares and escaped. No crew members were injured.

On Jan 24, 2025, at 02.54 a.m., the 'Chinook', en route fromk Taipei to the Adang Bay Offshore Coal Terminal, was boarded by seven unarmed perpetrators at the Balikpapan Anchorage in pos. 1° 21.9' S 116° 58.7' E. Nothing was reported stolen, and no crew members were injured.