DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Accidents in the Red Sea leave the waterway still a target for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and the three undersea waterways that provide internet and telecommunications around the world The cable was cut, officials announced Monday.
Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications confirmed the disconnection in a statement, but did not say what caused the disconnection. The Houthis, who describe the cable as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, are feared to be targeted in the operation. However, the Houthis deny attacking the front line.
Global shipping through the Red Sea, a key route for cargo and energy from Asia and the Middle East to Europe, has already been disrupted, but sabotage of communications links could extend a months-long crisis. There is. Meanwhile, an incident appeared to be a Houthi attack targeting a new ship in the Gulf of Aden.
HGC Global Communications said the reduction lines include Asia-Africa-Europe 1, Europe-India Gateway, Seacom and TGN Gulf. It said the cuts would affect 25% of traffic flowing through the Red Sea. The company described the Red Sea route as crucial for moving data from Asia to Europe and said it had begun rerouting traffic.
Tim Strong, an undersea cable expert at Telegeography, a Washington-based telecommunications market research firm, said HGC Global Communications has confirmed that the Seacom-TGN-Gulf line is actually one wire at the point of disconnection. Regardless, it was explained that they are two separate cables.
In response to questions from The Associated Press, Seacom said, “Initial inspections indicate that the affected portion is within Yemen’s maritime jurisdiction in the southern Red Sea.” Some services were disrupted, but it said it was rerouting traffic that could be rerouted.
Tata Communications, part of the Indian conglomerate that supports the Seacom-TGN-Gulf line, told The Associated Press that it “immediately initiated appropriate corrective action” after the line was disconnected.
“We have invested in various cable consortia to increase our diversity, so in the event of a cable cut or failure, we can automatically reroute our services,” Tata said. Ta.
Other companies providing data to Africa, Asia and the Middle East did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Associated Press on Monday.
In early February, Yemen’s internationally recognized government-in-exile claimed that the Houthis were planning an electrical attack. The line appears to have been cut on February 24, and the organization NetBlocks noticed internet access disrupted in the East African nation of Djibouti two days later. Seacom is serving Djibouti, with one of his four cables severed.
However, the Houthis deny targeting the cable. The Houthis have blamed the chaos on British and American military operations, but have provided no evidence to support their claims and have made false claims in the past.
“Hostile actions in Yemen by British and American naval forces have disrupted undersea cables in the Red Sea, endangering the security of international communications and the normal flow of information,” Houthi-controlled Yemeni Transport said. the ministry announced. The capital, Sanaa, is controlled by rebel groups.
Since November, rebel groups have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over the Israeli-Hamas war. These vessels included at least one ship with cargo destined for Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, and an aid ship later bound for Houthi-controlled areas.
Despite more than a month and a half of U.S.-led airstrikes, the Houthi rebels remain capable of launching large-scale attacks. These include last month’s attack on the Rubimar, a cargo ship loaded with fertilizer that sank on Saturday after being adrift for several days, and the downing of a U.S.-made drone worth tens of millions of dollars.
The Houthis have insisted they will continue their attacks until Israel ceases combat operations in the Gaza Strip, a move that has outraged the Arab world and helped the group gain international recognition.
Attacks have slowed in recent days. The reason remains unclear. Between four and eight U.S. and allied warships currently patrol the Red Sea each day, according to Pentagon spokesman Maj. Pete Nguyen.
The British military’s Royal Maritime Trade Operations Center separately warned on Monday of the possibility of a new attack in the Gulf of Aden. Private security firm Ambry said the targeted ship was a Liberian-flagged Israeli container ship that had issued a distress call after sustaining damage.
It remains unclear how the Houthis were able to attack the undersea cable itself. It is not known whether the rebels have the diving or salvage capabilities to target battle lines located hundreds of meters (feet) below the waterway’s surface.
However, undersea cables can be severed, such as by anchors dropped from a disabled ship. A drifting ship whose anchor scraped the sea may be the culprit.
“Our team believes it is plausible that it may have been affected by anchor drag due to the amount of maritime traffic that the region handles and the low seabed in many areas of the Red Sea,” Seacom said. . “This can only be confirmed once the repair vessel arrives on the scene.”
There are currently 14 cables in the Red Sea, with six more planned, Strong said.
“We estimate that more than 90% of communications between Europe and Asia pass through the Red Sea submarine cables,” he said. “Fortunately, carriers have a high degree of redundancy built into their systems. There are many cables running through the Red Sea.”
