Taiwan’s coastguard has apprehended a cargo ship and its Chinese crew following damage to an undersea cable in the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday. Authorities have indicated that they cannot dismiss the possibility of a deliberate “grey zone” action. “The investigation will determine whether the undersea cable break was due to intentional sabotage or an accident,” the coastguard stated. “It is possible that this incident represents a grey-zone intrusion by China.”
The term “grey zone” refers to hostile actions that do not escalate to outright warfare. The coastguard was alerted early Tuesday by Chunghwa Telecom, which reported damage to a communications cable linking Taiwan’s main island with Penghu. A coastguard spokesperson informed that Taiwanese authorities have been closely monitoring areas near undersea cables. On February 22, the cargo ship was observed stopping “very close” to the Penghu cable, near Tainan. Coastguard vessels were dispatched around 2:30 AM on Tuesday and found the cargo ship anchored. It began moving northwest approximately half an hour before Chunghwa Telecom reported the cable damage.
Attempts to communicate with the vessel via speaker and radio were unsuccessful, leading to its interception and escort back to Anping port shortly after noon. Footage from the coastguard shows officers boarding the cargo ship. Although the ship is registered under a Togolese flag, the coastguard suggested this may be a flag of convenience, as all eight crew members are Chinese nationals. The ownership of the cargo ship remains unclear, with tracking data indicating at least three different names associated with its maritime identification number. The coastguard described the vessel as “China-funded” but did not provide further details.
Taiwan has compiled a list of over 50 ships for close monitoring, believed to be sailing under flags of convenience, including those from Togo, but owned by Chinese companies. This list, initially reported by the Financial Times and confirmed by other sources, includes vessels that have lingered in or near Taiwan’s territorial waters for extended periods. Chunghwa Telecom stated that a backup cable was activated, ensuring that communication services were not disrupted.
This incident marks the latest in a series of undersea cable damages around Taiwan in recent years. In January, Taiwanese authorities investigated a Chinese-owned, Cameroon-registered vessel, Shunxing 39, suspected of dragging its anchor and damaging a cable northeast of the island that connected to the US. The coastguard had ordered the vessel to return for investigation but was unable to board due to adverse weather conditions. The Shunxing 39 subsequently sailed to South Korea.
