Cable Under Red Sea Damaged, Asia-Europe Communications Disrupted

There are concerns that the Houthis are also targeting undersea cables. However, the cable could also be damaged by the anchor.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Kabel di Bawah Laut Merah Rusak, Komunikasi Asia-Eropa Terganggu

U.S. MILITARY'S CENTRAL COMMAND VIA AP

In an undated photo released on March 3, 2024 by the US Central Military Command, a Belize-flagged cargo ship, Rubymar, appeared to have sunk in the Red Sea.

DUBAI, TUESDAY — Three undersea cables in the Red Sea were cut off. As a result, a quarter of communication lines and the internet between Asia, Europe and the Middle East were disrupted. There are concerns that the undersea cable is being targeted by the Houthi group which is carrying out attacks on ships in the Red Sea. However, the Houthis denied the accusation.

As of Tuesday (5/3/2024), it is unclear what caused the damage to the cable network. Many are worried that the disruption to telecommunications may escalate the security crisis in the Middle East.

Also read: Rubymar Ship Sinks, Red Sea Route Increasingly Avoided

Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications said the cable networks that were down included Asia-Africa-Europe 1, Europe India Gateway, and Seacom-TGN-Gulf. The network outage affected 25 percent of communications traffic passing through the Red Sea. The network is a crucial route for the movement of data from Asia and Europe.

Quoting from CNN's Monday (4/3/2024) edition, the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 is a 25,000 kilometer-long cable system that connects Southeast Asia to Europe through Egypt. The Europe India Gateway connects Europe, the Middle East, and India.

PLANET LABS PBC VIA AP

In the satellite photo taken by Planet Labs PBC, a Belize-flagged cargo ship, Rubymar, can be seen in the Red Sea, on February 28, 2024.

According to Tim Stronge, a submarine cable expert at TeleGeography, a Washington-based communications market research company, Seacom-TGN-Gulf is billed as two separate cables even though it is actually one. Seacom said initial testing indicated the disturbed segment was located within Yemen's maritime jurisdiction in the southern Red Sea. The company has rerouted, but some services are still down.

Seacom's Digital Director, Prenesh Padayachee, said that the company needs permission from Yemen's maritime authorities to fix the damaged submarine cable. Repair work could take up to eight weeks. "Our clients' (communication) traffic will continue to be diverted until we can repair the damaged cable," he told CNN.

Also read: Houthis Launch Biggest Attack in Red Sea, UNSC Convenes

Stronge stated that there are currently 14 cable networks crossing the Red Sea. There are six new networks that are planned to be built. "We estimate that more than 90 percent of communication between Europe and Asia crosses underwater cables in the Red Sea. Fortunately, telecommunications operators have built highly duplicated systems within the network," he said.

Order on the map

Since the Houthi group began attacking ships crossing the Red Sea in mid-November 2023, concerns have arisen that the group may also target undersea cables. The attacks on ships are a form of support by the Houthis for the Hamas group, which is currently at war with the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip.

On December 24, 2023, the Gulf Information Forum reported that a Telegram account related to the Houthi movement released a map of undersea communication cable networks in the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf. The map was accompanied by a message saying, "There is an international cable network connecting the entire world through the sea. Yemen seems to be in a strategic location with the presence of an internet pathway connecting all continents, not just countries, passing through Yemen."

Despite not mentioning specific targets, the message coincides with the Houthi attack on ships crossing the Red Sea. The BBC edition of February 7, 2024 reported that the internationally recognized exiled Yemeni government warned of a Houthi plan to target the underwater cables.

In February 2024, a cable network was disrupted following a report from the organization NetBlocks, which mentioned that internet access in Djibouti was disrupted two days later. However, the Houthis denied targeting the undersea cable network. They blamed the military operations of the United States and Britain in the Red Sea, even though they did not provide any evidence to support their allegations.

Since January 2024, troops from several countries led by the United States and Britain have attacked Houthi positions in Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea. So far, Houthi still can launch attacks on ships. It is believed that Houthi is supported by Iran.

Also read: Fierce US-Houthi Gunfight in the Red Sea, Houthis Lose 10 Members

Although considered a threat, it is unclear how the Houthis can attack underwater cables on their own. They are not known to have the ability to dive or to protect themselves when attacking underwater targets located hundreds of meters below the surface.

However, underwater cables may possibly be cut by anchors, including those that may fall from several ships that were damaged due to the Houthi attack. Ships with anchors dragging on the sea floor could become the troublemakers.

"Our team thinks it is highly possible that the damage was caused by anchor drags due to the high traffic of shipping in the area and the shallow seabed in many parts of the Red Sea. However, this can only be confirmed when the repair ship is in place," said Seacom.

Houthi has warned that any ship related to subsea cables entering Yemeni waters must obtain permission from the group. The reason is related to the security of those ships. (AP)