Operations are underway to repair three undersea telecommunications cables that were damaged in the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend, disrupting telephone and Internet service in parts of the Middle East and south Asia. However, this time the cause of the cable cuts is suspected to be a ship’s anchor, rather than a deliberate act or terrorism or sabotage.
The damage to the FLAG, SEA-ME-WE4, and SEA-ME-WE3 cables occurred late Friday; by Sunday a remotely-operated submarine robot was being used to locate and assess the damage to the cables. It’s possible a ship anchor could have dragged the cables some distance from their proper locations. Once the damage areas have been located an identified, the remote robot will bring the cables up to a repair ship which will repair the damage and then re-lay the cables on the ocean floor.
