Taiwan Probes Shunxin39 for Suspected Sabotage of Undersea Cable, Seeks South Korea's Help

Jan 5, 2025, 11:02 AM

Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is investigating a Cameroon-registered freighter, named Shunxin39, for allegedly damaging an undersea communications cable off the northeastern coast of Taiwan. The incident occurred on Friday, and the vessel, owned by the Hong Kong-registered Jie Yang Trading Limited with a director named Guo Wenjie from mainland China, was ordered to return to waters near Keelung port for further investigation. The damaged cable, operated by Chunghwa Telecom, was part of an international network connecting Taiwan to the US West Coast. Despite the damage, domestic communications were unaffected as the telecom operator rerouted services to other international cables. Taiwan has sought assistance from South Korea in the investigation as the Shunxing39 is en route to Pusan, with suspicions of sabotage through anchor-dragging.