TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council (OAC, 海委會) revealed on Tuesday (March 4) that the council identified 96 vessels that require close monitoring following a series of undersea cable disruptions. OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) claimed that the Chinese-crewed vessel "Hong Tai 58" (宏泰58), which allegedly damaged the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 cable last Tuesday, was detained as a preemptive measure taken by Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA, 海巡署).
Kuan explained that from January to the present, there have been six instances of undersea cable breaks. While three were due to natural causes, two resulted from Chinese vessels, and one involved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Maritime Port Bureau (航港局) categorized two ships as high-threat and eight, including the Hongtai 58, as medium-threat.
The subsea cables, now deemed critical infrastructure (CI), benefit from a multilayer protection system. The Ministry of Digital Affairs (數發部) has established a mature backup system, minimizing the impact of disruptions. Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信) conducts regular patrols, and the CGA uses radar surveillance to monitor the vessels. Kuan emphasized the importance of international cooperation, noting meetings with stationed units in Taiwan to share information and establish global maritime defense.
