Damaged Internet Subsea Cables Repaired in Red Sea Amid Militant Attacks on Ships

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Damaged Internet Subsea Cables Repaired in Red Sea Amid Militant Attacks on Ships

By CircleID Reporter
July 17, 2024, 10:20 am PDT Views: 223 Add Comment

Repairs on three crucial subsea telecommunications cables in the Red Sea, damaged since February, have begun despite ongoing militant attacks. The AAE-1 cable, a significant 25,000-kilometer fiber optic link between Asia and Europe, was repaired by E-Marine, a subsidiary of Emirates Telecommunications Group, and is now operational. The same ship, Niwa, continues to work on restoring the Seacom and EIG cables.

The cables were severed by the anchor of a cargo ship sunk by Houthi militants in late February. Repair efforts faced delays due to the challenging access to Yemen’s waters, complicated by the country’s divided governance and the Red Sea being a conflict zone. Months of negotiations involving the cable operators and Yemen’s two governing factions were necessary to initiate repairs.

Subsea infrastructure vulnerability: The downtime of these cables, vital for connecting Europe, the Middle East, India, and Asia, forced carriers to reroute data traffic, incurring significant costs. The incident underscored the vulnerability of subsea infrastructure and the difficulties of conducting repairs in conflict zones. Houthi militants have intensified attacks on ships in the area, affecting global shipping routes and raising security concerns for underwater cables.

Obtaining permits for repairs involved complex negotiations, particularly for the AAE-1 cable, due to disputes over consortium member TeleYemen’s alleged Houthi ties. While the AAE-1 cable is now repaired, how the permit was obtained remains unclear.

By CircleID Reporter

CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.

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