In August 2021, the Australia–Singapore Cable was damaged off Perth after the container ship Maersk Surabaya allegedly dragged its anchor through the protection zone.
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.
Fremantle Ports has recorded a nation‑leading shift to rail, with 26.4% of all container freight in 2025–26 moving in and out of the Inner Harbour by train.
What appears to have kept Australia’s cables relatively safe in practice, then, is not primarily active enforcement of the zones but redundancy and self-interest elsewhere in the system.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) said it was forced to close the East West rail line because of “track washaways of up to 100 metres in some locations”.
