The damage to two submarine cables off Perth has revived concerns over one of the world’s least visible vulnerabilities: the infrastructure carrying international internet and communications traffic.
Australia’s Indigo West and Indigo Central cables suffered faults last weekend inside the Submarine Cable Protection Zone off Perth.
Subco chief executive Bevan Slattery said the faults occurred “straight after each other and in close proximity” and pointed to “very suspicious activity from a vessel near the location”. The Australian Federal Police is assessing a report relating to the incident, said ABC News.
There is no public evidence yet that the cables were deliberately damaged. Ships’ anchors and fishing activity routinely cause cable failures.
But a vessel’s movements have attracted attention. Maritime intelligence company Windward said its analysis of AIS data and satellite imagery identified one vessel whose movements matched the location and timing of the faults.
The vessel entered Australia’s exclusive economic zone on July 28 and remained off Perth for almost two weeks. Windward said its AIS track showed repeated crossings of the cable corridor around August 8 and 9, when the damage occurred. S
Satellite imagery provided another layer: electro-optical imagery placed the vessel about 11 kilometres west of Perth on August 3, while synthetic aperture radar imagery on August 8 placed it over the cable route.
The concern is not confined to Australia.
