China Has Patents For Special Anchor To Cut Undersea Communication Cables

 

newsweek

With Chinese ships suspected to have cut key undersea communications cables around the world, a Newsweek review of Chinese-language patent applications shows that engineers in China invented devices to sever such cables quickly and cheaply.

Cables have been damaged in the Baltic Sea, off Norway and around Taiwan. Chinese or Russian ships have been identified criss-crossing the locations prior to the damage, making them the main suspects and raising questions over whether it was sabotage. China has said at least one of the incidents was an accident.

While the fact that patents were sought for anchor-like devices for cutting submarine cables does not mean that they were used in these incidents, it does indicate an interest in cutting them, marine experts said.

The cables are vital for providing data connections and internet service in an increasingly connected world.   

Submarine Cable Cutting

A "dragging type submarine cable cutting device" was developed in 2020 by a team of engineers at Lishui University in coastal Zhejiang province, which is opposite Taiwan.

"With the development of science and technology, more and more submarine cables and communication cables are laid on the seabed of all parts of the world and the cables need to be cut off in some emergency situations," the Lishui University authors wrote. "The traditional cutting method needs first to detect the position of the cables, then excavate and salvage them for cutting. The process is complex, a lot of expensive equipment is needed, and the cost is too high. There is a need for a fast, low cost cutting apparatus for submarine cables to accomplish this task," Zhang Shusen, Dai Ying, Fu Changrong, Gao Zikun, Li Xuping and Ji Guangya wrote.