Red Sea Cables Cut Disrupting Global Internet Traffic

By Nelson @Adobe Stock

Zachary Folk of Forbes reports that four fiber optic cables have been damaged in the Red Sea. Folk writes:

At least four undersea fiber optic cables, which carry approximately 97% of all Internet traffic, were damaged last week in the Red Sea, telecommunications providers are reporting, and instability in Yemen threatens to prevent operators from fixing them immediately.

A study published by the Department of Homeland Security in 2017 estimated that 97% of all intercontinental electronic communications took place using undersea fiber optic cables, which are routed beneath the world’s oceans. The same study offered a clear example of how vital the cables are in the Middle East. After three divers attempted to intentionally cut an undersea cable near Alexandria in 2013, Internet speeds in Egypt fell by about 60%.

The Submarine Cables Cut – Source: TeleGeography

Reports on the possible damage to cables in the Red Sea began circulating last week. At least one Israeli media outlet blamed the damage on the Houthis, who have been targeting cargo ships in the waterway in an effort to support Hamas in the ongoing war in Gaza. The Houthis have vehemently denied the allegations. In a press release posted last Tuesday, the Houthi-controlled government said it was “keen to keep all telecom submarine cables and its relevant service away from any possible risks,” and also promised to provide facilities for the cables to be “repaired and maintained.” […]

Other observers have noted that the cables could have been damaged by the recent sinking of the British cargo ship Rubymar, which was targeted by Houthi forces on February 18 and abandoned by its crew. The ship was left drifting in the Red Sea for days, dragging its anchor on the seafloor, where it could have potentially cut one or multiple cables. A spokesperson for SEACOM told the Wall Street Journal that it was “plausible” their cable was damaged by the Rubymar, which has since sunk, but the company has not yet confirmed this. The International Cable Protection Committee, an NGO based in the U.K., said that an average of 150 incidents occur each year that damage undersea cables—and most of these are caused by activities such as commercial fishing and anchoring.

Read more here.

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