Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs Releases First Submarine Cable Damage Analysis Report: Anchor Damage is Main Cause of Nearshore Damage

Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda) today released its 2025 report on the causes and improvement strategies for submarine communication cable damage in Taiwan. The report explains that threats to Taiwan's submarine cables exhibit a bimodal structure: within 24 nautical miles, human-induced damage such as anchor snagging and bottom trawling is prevalent, while beyond 24 nautical miles, natural factors like submarine landslides triggered by strong earthquakes are more common.

The report highlights that submarine cables are an irreplaceable digital lifeline for Taiwan. As of the end of February 2026, 15 international and 10 domestic submarine cables have been laid around Taiwan, all integrated into national critical infrastructure.

Statistics show that over the past four years, an average of 7 to 8 submarine cable fault incidents occurred annually in Taiwan's nearshore areas (within 24 nautical miles). Among these, anchor snagging accounted for an average of 38.3%, meaning more than one in three cable faults originated from vessels dropping anchor.

The report indicates that among the seven fault incidents in 2025, three were due to anchor snagging, with the proportion rising to 42.9%. Two of these were caused by illegal anchoring by foreign 'flags of convenience' vessels, posing a new type of threat to submarine cable safety.

Regarding offshore damage (beyond 24 nautical miles), the primary cause is submarine landslides triggered by earthquakes. The report explains that a strong earthquake in the eastern waters of Taiwan at the end of 2025 caused six important international submarine cables—SJC2, PLCN, EAC1, FNAL, RNAL, and EAC2—to experience faults in quick succession.

Moda stated that to effectively deter submarine cable damage, the 'Telecommunications Management Act' was amended in 2023 to increase penalties for damaging telecommunications infrastructure. The Executive Yuan also promoted amendments to the 'Seven Submarine Cable Laws' in 2025, which were promulgated by the President and implemented in January 2026. Measures such as 'confiscation of criminal tools (vessels)' and 'strengthening Automatic Identification System (AIS) management for vessels' have significantly raised the cost of illegal activities.

Moda emphasized its active enforcement of illegal cases. For instance, in 2025, cases involving a Togolese cargo ship severing the 'Taipei-Penghu No. 3' (TP3) cable and a Chinese fishing vessel damaging the 'Taiwan-Matsu No. 2' (TDM2) cable both resulted in convictions by judicial authorities, demonstrating the government's determination to protect digital resilience.

Furthermore, moda stated that it is simultaneously strengthening backup capabilities, urging operators to expand international submarine cable routes, and opening 19 satellite frequencies to introduce diverse satellite systems. By building a multi-redundant system, Taiwan's communication network resilience is comprehensively enhanced.

Moda noted that it will continue cross-ministerial cooperation, following four major approaches: 'enhancing resilience, building multi-redundancy and deepening international cooperation,' 'implementing severe penalties and early warnings,' 'improving physical protection and encouraging new submarine cable construction,' and 'maintaining high-pressure enforcement,' to shift the defense mindset from passive repair to proactive defense and resilience building. (Editor: Pan Yi-ching) 1150407