Finland Says A Hong Kong-Flagged Ship's Anchor Was REesponsible For Breaching A Pipeline

Bloomberg: Finland Says Hong Kong-Flagged Ship Anchor Breached Pipeline 

Finnish authorities raised a ship anchor on Tuesday from the seafloor in the area where an underwater gas pipeline was damaged earlier this month, saying a Hong Kong-flagged vessel appears to have caused the incident. 

The National Bureau of Investigation displayed pictures at a news conference of what it said was a 6-ton anchor that appears to be missing one of its arms, potentially belonging to the Hong Kong-flagged vessel “Newnew Polar Bear.” 

An investigation is proceeding into whether the damage was intentional, officials told reporters in Vantaa, just outside of Helsinki. 

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Update #1: Finland Says Gas Pipeline Likely Broken by Ship Dragging Anchor (Reuters) 

Update #2: Finland Finds Anchor That Likely Damaged Gas Pipeline (AFP) 

WNU Editor: Sweden is making a different claim on one of its damaged cables .... The damage to a Baltic undersea cable was ‘purposeful,’ Swedish leader says but gives no details (AP).

Is A Chinese Ship Responsible For Damaging A Pipeline Between Finland And Estonia?

Chinese ship is focus of investigation into damaged pipeline, Finland says https://t.co/ol8DwZm9Tp pic.twitter.com/whekvu1yWi

— Guardian World (@guardianworld) October 20, 2023

The Guardian: Chinese ship is focus of investigation into damaged pipeline, Finland says  

Police focusing on Newnew Polar Bear cargo ship that was in the area when gas pipeline was damaged 

Finnish police have said a Chinese ship whose movement coincided with the time and place of the suspected sabotage of a pipeline between Finland and Estonia that was damaged this month is now the focus of their investigation. 

After a leak led to the shutdown of the Balticconnector pipeline on 8 October, Finnish authorities have been investigating the damage they say was caused by “external” activity. 

On Friday, they said their focus was on the Newnew Polar Bear, a cargo ship that reportedly came under Chinese ownership this year. Between 2017 and 2022 it was known as the Baltic Fulmar, the Finnish broadcaster YLE reported.  

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 Update #1: Pipeline damage probe centers on Chinese ship, Finland says -- Politico  

Update #2: China ship is focus of pipeline damage probe, Finland says -- Reuters  

WNU Editor: This si not the only incident that has happened this month .... Sweden reports damage to undersea cable to Estonia as Finland investigates its own pipeline damage (FOX News).

Is China Deliberately Cutting Taiwan's Internet Cables?

Submarine cables 

 DNYUZ/Foreign Policy: China Is Practicing How to Sever Taiwan’s Internet 

As the United States was watching the skies in the aftermath of the spy balloon incident, China may have been acting at sea. In early February, maritime vessels disabled the two undersea cables connecting Taiwan’s Matsu Islands, a tiny archipelago just 10 nautical miles off China’s coast, to the internet. Now residents of the islands face highly reduced internet connectivity until the cables are repaired. The activity looks like targeted harassment by Beijing—or an exercise in preparation for cutting off the whole of Taiwan. 

On Feb. 2, a Chinese fishing vessel sailing close to the Matsu Islands severed one of the two cables, which connect the islands with Taiwan proper. Then, six days later, a Chinese freighter cut the second cable. Speaking shortly after the second cable was cut, Wong Po-tsung, the vice chair of Taiwan’s National Communications Commission, told reporters that there was no indication the incidents were intentional. It’s not uncommon for undersea cables to be damaged—but losing two in a row is either really unfortunate or quite possibly not a coincidence.  

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WNU Editor: Taiwan now strongly believes these cables were deliberately cut .... Taiwan suspects Chinese ships cut islands’ internet cables (AP).

Will Undersea Cables Be The Next Target In The Current Hybrid War Between The West And Russia?

An undersea internet cable lurking in the depths. Foreign policy analysts argue that these conduits, the effective backbone of the global internet, are in danger of being sabotaged by hostile powers. (Photo by JesperG/Shutterstock)  

Tech Monitor: Could undersea cables be the next casualty of hybrid warfare? 

The UK, Italy and France are all investing in new ships and infrastructure to protect the internet from Russian aggression. Critics argue they’re overreacting.

The Akademik Boris Petrov is officially listed as a research vessel. About 75 metres long and moored, at the time of writing, in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, the ship’s official purpose is to survey the ocean depths. Others believe its role is more nefarious. Labelled a ‘spy ship’ by several UK tabloids, the vessel’s brilliant white silhouette has been variously described as skulking away from the Shetland Islands just after its undersea internet cable connection to the rest of the world was severed, and being forced out of the Netherlands’ territorial waters by that country’s coastguard under suspicion of mapping the underwater infrastructure syphoning natural gas and internet traffic in and out of Western Europe. 

To clarify, the Akademik Boris Petrov has not been officially labelled as a Russian spy vessel by any government, and neither has it been conclusively linked to acts of sabotage or espionage as they pertain to undersea internet cables. But Western capitals are worried.  

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WNU Editor: The deliberate destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines last year has opened the door that undersea infrastructures are now fair game. To me it is a given that it is only a matter of time before the West's undersea internet infrastructure is targeted as the war in Ukraine escalates.

Germany And Norway Want NATO To Protect Undersea Cables And Pipelines After Nord Stream Attacks

Store was visiting Berlin on Wednesday for bilateral talks and to attend the Berlin Security Conference with Scholz  

DW: Germany, Norway seek NATO role in undersea infrastructure 

The leaders of Germany and Norway have said they will propose that NATO plays a role in protecting undersea infrastructure like gas pipelines or fiber optic cables. This follows the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Wednesday that they would be speaking with the head of NATO about involving the alliance in future operations to protect critical undersea infrastructure like gas pipelines or fiber optic cables.  

Store said Norway had already increased vigilance at such sites in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and even more so after the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. 

Store was visiting the German capital on Wednesday for bilateral talks and to attend the Berlin Security Conference with Scholz.  

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WNU Editor: Germany has stated that they know who was responsible for the Nord Stream pipeline attacks. But they will not release that information due to national security. 

I think it would be helpful if we do know who was responsible for those attacks. To make that information and evidence public so we will know who are we defending our infrastructure against, and why billions must be spent to do so. 

Germany And Norway Want NATO To Protect Undersea Cables And Pipelines After Nord Stream Attacks

Germany, Norway urge NATO to protect undersea infrastructure -- AP  

Germany and Norway want NATO to protect subsea infrastructure after Nord Stream attacks -- Reuters  

Germany, Norway Seek NATO-Led Hub for Key Undersea Structures -- Defense Post/AFP  

Norway and Germany seek Nato-led cooperation for key undersea structures -- The Local  

Germany and Norway announce plan to better protect maritime infrastructure -- Euronews

Will The Kremlin Order The Cutting Of Undersea Internet Cables If The Ukraine Crisis Worsens?

More than 97 per cent of the world's communications are transmitted through sub sea optical fibre cables surrounded by armouring wire and a Polyethylene cover  

Atlantic Council: Cord-cutting, Russian style: Could the Kremlin sever global internet cables? 

As the world watches the Kremlin’s military build-up along the Ukrainian border, the Irish military is worried about Russian naval activity in its own backyard. That’s where Russian exercises are set to take place dangerously close to strategic undersea communications cables that represent an overlooked element of a potential Russian escalation: an effort to blind the world to events unfolding in Ukraine. 

Armed with a sophisticated set of cyber capabilities, the Russian government has long relied—even compared to a cyber power like China—on destructive attacks that degrade or destroy systems, such as the one that shut off power grids in Ukraine in 2015. Not to mention the large network of actors, from state agencies to front companies to recruited cybercriminals, who conduct a range of cyber and information operations against the Putin regime’s enemies. But Russia’s weaponization of tech isn’t just about code and keyboards: If attackers can damage, destroy, or merely cut power to physical internet infrastructure, such as undersea cables, they can disrupt internet communications in a target area to cause public panic and unrest, undermine economic activity, and disrupt the flow of government and citizen communications.  

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WNU Editor: Talk of Russia cutting undersea cables has been making the news rounds for the past month .... Undersea Cable Connecting Norway With Arctic Satellite Station Has Been Mysteriously Severed (January 11, 2022).

Click to enlarge. 

Yantar has a number of special systems to support surveys and undersea operations. The ship is not in herself covert, but some of her missions are shrouded in secrecy and subject to informed speculation. Photo by Yörük Işık.  

Daily Mail: Russian spy ship is in English Channel: Naval intelligence vessel that can 'cut undersea internet cables' sails through shipping lane near British coast 

* Yantar can be seen on tracker Marine Traffic midway between Devon and France 

* It is a specialist reconnaissance ship which carries two unmanned submersibles 

* Known for operating near undersea infrastructure including Internet cables 

* Intelligence expert told MailOnline UK submarines may be tracking the vessel 

A Russian spy ship built to carry out clandestine undersea missions was spotted in the English Channel today. 

Yantar could be seen on online service Marine Traffic midway between the coast of Devon and France and is currently heading north-east. 

Yantar is a specialist reconnaissance ship that carries two unmanned submersibles that are able to descend to the sea bed and take images, as well as collect items.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Russian spy ship that can ‘cut undersea cables’ spotted in English Channel (NYPost) 

Update #2: Russian Spy Ship Yantar Loitering Near Trans-Atlantic Internet Cables (Naval News)  

WNU Editor: This Russian ship has been loitering in this part of the Atlantic for the past month. My guess is that they are mapping out where all the cables are.

Is Venezuela’s New Submarine A Threat To U.S. Undersea Internet Cables?

The Venezuelan Navy's mini-submarine could deliver divers to interfere with underseas communications cables, such as those used for the Internet H I Sutton

Forbes: Venezuela’s New Submarine Could Threaten U.S. Internet Cables

The Venezuelan Navy’s recently revealed submarine is small, unarmed and short ranged. Yet it could pose an asymmetrical threat to U.S. interests in the Caribbean. This is because it is a type of submarine designed for diver-lock-out work, meaning that it can be used to transport underwater saboteurs.

The divers could attack ships with limpet mines in the manner of World War Two frogmen. But a more modern target might be undersea communications cables. In other words, the internet.

After years of economic troubles, sanctions and a near civil-war situation in the country, the Venezuelan Navy (Armada Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a shadow of its former self. Historically it has been relatively well equipped with frigates and submarines. But the sanctions and turmoil have hit hard. Its two conventional submarines haven’t been to sea in years.

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WNU Editor: I am not worried about the Venezuelan Navy going into the Caribbean and cutting undersea cables that would only make the entire region furious at them. They got bigger problems than disrupting people's access to Facebook.

This Is How Russian Spy Submarines Can Interfere With Undersea Internet Cables

General pattern of operations based on previous instances. A) Nuclear-powered mini-sub working on the cable. B) Very large host submarine patrolling above, ready to retrieve mini-sub. C) Nuclear powered attack submarine performing over watch H I Sutton

Forbes: How Russian Spy Submarines Can Interfere With Undersea Internet Cables

America and the West’s dependency on undersea internet cables could be a strategic vulnerability. It is the consequence of both geography and the rise of the international digital economy. Russia, by comparison, doesn’t rely on the cables as much, and it has a substantial fleet of spy submarines designed to operate on them.

Russia’s ability to meddle with undersea cables has raised concerns on many occasions in recent years. Let’s look at which Russian Navy submarines may be involved and how they operate, based on previous incidents which are only now being spoken about.

During the Cold War the focus was military communication cables and sonar arrays laid on the sea floor. But today the ‘seabed warfare’ arena has been expanded to include the internet cables which crisscross the oceans. Around 99% of our transoceanic data traffic flows through undersea cables, including financial transactions, email, social media and of course military communications.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: To me it is a given that in the event of a major war, all of these cables are going to be cut in multiple places.

Are Russian Agents Going To Ireland To Inspect Undersea Cables?

Undersea cables around the world. (Image: Submarine Cable Map)

Business Insider: Russian intelligence agents reportedly went to Ireland to inspect undersea cables, and it's reigniting fears they could cut them and take entire countries offline

* Russian agents have been sent to Ireland to inspect its undersea cables, and it's sparking fears they could be tapped or cut in the future, according to The Sunday Times citing Irish police.
* Irish security services suspect that Russia's intelligence agency, the GRU, is using their country as a base to gather intelligence on targets in the EU and UK, The Sunday Times reported.
* The large number of tech companies that are based in Dublin could be another reason for Russia's suspected monitoring, an expert on transnational crime and Russian security told the newspaper.
* There have been longstanding fears that Russian spies could cut transatlantic undersea cables to disrupt communications and financial transactions, and take entire countries offline.

Russian intelligence agents have been sent to Ireland to make the precise locations of undersea cables connecting Europe to North America, and it's raising fears that they plan to tap or even cut them, The Sunday Times reported.

Irish security services believe that the agents were sent by Russia's foreign intelligence agency, the GRU, and are checking the fiber-optic cables for weak points, The Times also reported, citing police and military sources.

They were also seen monitoring Dublin Port, which prompted the country to ramp up security at a number of landing sites along the Irish coast, The Times reported. It's unclear where else the agents have been seen.

Read more ....

Update: Reports that Russian intelligence agents visited Cork to map ocean-bed fibre-optic cables (CorkBEO)

WNU Editor: Russian media is calling this fiction .... Russian GRU agents prowl undersea internet cables off Irish coast in the Times’ latest spy thriller (RT).

New Pentagon Map Shows Russian And Chinese Naval Activity Near Major Undersea Cables

The map showing Russian and Chinese naval activity, as well as the location of major undersea cables. DoD

Warzone/The Drive: New Pentagon Map Shows Huge Scale Of Worrisome Russian and Chinese Naval Operations

This is our first good look at the kind of activity, especially off the East Coast of the United States, that the US military has been warning about.

The Pentagon has released a map showing areas of increased Russian and Chinese naval activities, as well as the locations of major undersea cables, around the world as part of its most recent budget request for the 2021 Fiscal Year. This is perhaps the most granular detail on these subjects that the U.S. government has provided to date after years of warning about the threats that these patrols, especially by Russian submarines, pose to American national interests. Just last week, we reported that a senior U.S. Navy officer stated that Russian submarine sorties had become such an issue that the service no longer treats the East Coast of the United States as "uncontested" and would no longer view it as a guaranteed "safe haven" in a crisis.

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WNU Editor: Not sure what they are trying to prove. The undersea cables follow a route that is the shortest distance between the continents. It is only logical that the shipping lines will also follow the same route, including other country's navies. 

The Greatest Threat To National Security Is The Vulnerability Of The World's Undersea Cables

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Rep. Rob Wittman, C4ISRNet: The greatest risk to national security you’ve never heard of

Tensions with Russia are increasing with no end in sight. Over the course of the last year, the House discussed at length Russia’s successful attempts to meddle in our election — affecting what Americans hold most dear: our democracy. But now, Russia — through intensified submarine activity — is threatening our undersea cables. Should we be worried? Probably more than you think.

In a world of wireless and cloud computing, many imagine invisible waves jumping from the Earth toward satellites in space and back down. But that’s not how it works — not really.

The truth is, for the most part, the internet is more physical than many believe; we aren’t internationally connected by satellites in the sky, but by cables deep under the ocean’s surface. And since these cables are privately owned and maintained, anyone with malicious intent and the means to do so can drastically impact our way of life.

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WNU Editor: There is more information here .... This incredible map shows the undersea cables that keep the internet alive — and security services are worried Russia could cut them (Business Insider).