Underseas Baltic NATO comms cables cut

Two underseas data cables in the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Sweden ceased to function Sunday. The first cable went out about 10AM, the second later that day about 60 miles away.

However, two US officials familiar with an initial assessment into the damage to the two cables told CNN Tuesday that as yet there were “no indications of nefarious activity, nor intentional damage to seafloor infrastructure” and suggested the disruption was likely caused by an anchor dragged from a passing vessel. CNN

Any storms in the area which could cause an anchored ship to drag its anchor?  How often does a ship drag its anchor for 60 miles or so? Well, it’s more common than you would think.

Last year, another Chinese cargo ship reportedly dragged an anchor for “hundreds of kilometers,” thus damaging a gas pipeline in the Baltic that connects Finland and Estonia. Finland contends the incident was intentional. MSN

Seems those Chinese sailors are awful careless with their anchors. Heck, might even say it’s a habit. Funny how it only seems to happen in Baltic waters, since Finland and Sweden joined NATO.

This comes just a few months after NATO said that Russia was mapping undersea fiber optic cables as part of its strategy to disrupt communications.  MSN

I am sure it is all a giant coincidence. After all, historically the Chinese and Russians are ideologically miles apart, aren’t they?

According to reports in Eurasia Daily and Defence24, the Danish Navy has boarded and detained the Chinese Bulk Carrier Yi Peng 3 in the Danish Straits, near the exit of the Great Belt. The detention took place on the evening of November 18. According to Financial Times sources, Sweden authorities are “carefully studying the Chinese vessel.”

According to public records, the bulk carrier left Ust-Luga Anchorage, some 50 miles east of St. Petersburg, Russia, last November 15, and its next destination is Port Said of Egypt.

At the time of writing, Marinetraffic.com puts the Chinese ship in the middle of the Kattegatt, the sea bound by Denmark on the west and Sweden in the east. The smaller Danish patrol ship is immediately beside it, while the Hvidbjoernen ( Danish Navy vessel – ed.) is located some 15 to 20 miles southwest of the two vessels (although the website says that this position was last updated more than seven hours ago.)MSN

Seems everyone is pointing their fingers at the Chinese vessel, except the current administration. They seem to think it is just coincidence that immediately after Biden gives the go-ahead for Ukraine to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia, communications to two new NATO countries is disrupted – by a ship from a country openly sympathetic to Russian aims.

Here is a bit more from an NPR interview between moderator Joana Summers and correspondent Bob Schmitz:

Well, we know that this is a Chinese cargo vessel named the Yi Peng 3 (above). And after departing Russia, ship tracking data shows that on Sunday morning local time, this ship passed over a telecommunications cable that connects Sweden and Lithuania. And soon after crossing that point, that cable stopped working and was later found to be severed.

Several hours later on early Monday morning, the same ship passed over an undersea communications cable connecting Finland and Germany, and 2 minutes later, that cable stopped working, and its operator noticed that the cable had also been severed.

SUMMERS: It sounds a little suspicious.

SCHMITZ: Yeah, it does. And what’s even more suspicious here is that ship tracking data shows the Yi Peng 3 had slowed down to a stop drifting in the general area over both undersea cables, in one case for more than an hour, and that’s what attracted the attention of officials monitoring ship traffic in these waters.  NPR

What’s the old phrase – once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time it’s enemy action? Maybe some of you Navy types can comment on the odds of accidentally dragging an anchor that long… three times. Me, I’m taking “slim to none for $1000, Alex” – but then I’ve watched both “Strangers on a Train” AND “Throw Moma From the Train: before.

Think our government folks should be a little old to be believing in fairy tales. But, they did claim Biden was fit to be President, and they selected (not nominated) Harris as their candidate.

Category: China, NATO, Russia