Three major submarine cables cut in two days

[trux]

Yesterday there were two submarine cables cut (one near Marseille, France; second near Alexandria, Egypt) and today a third one close to Dubai. Sara, could you please stop pulling the cables when you go down?!

Looks like most of Internet traffic in Egypt, India, Iran and other Middle East countries is affected. Submarine cables fail rarely, so three incidents within two days definitely look like a sabotage. Looks like something major may be cooking in Middle East right now and normal information flow is not really desired.

BBC NEWS | Technology | New cable cut compounds net woes

 

[trux]

There is an internet status page here: Details for Asia /// Internet Traffic Report
Right now Iran is down competely - no Internet at all.

I read about another cable cut in Oman, but I suppose it is the one I mentioned near Dubai (that's in Oman Gulf).

 

[Marwan]

i can confirm for Egypt, that cable has really made our lives here Sh*t, defintiley looks like sabotage..the news here is that 80% of the problem should be fixed within 48 hours, while full restoration may take 10-15 days..
its much better now then yesterday i must say..but many business were affected...

 

[trux]

Some more details in this article: Internet provider in Emirates confirms undersea cable cut in Persian Gulf between Dubai, Oman, cause unknown - International Herald Tribune
They blame all three cables to be likely cut by anchors, which is of course nonsense, but well they probably feel for some reason they have to give it a natural cause. However, it looks like it will take at least several days before repair robots are deployed, and the cables are repaired. Some countries managed to reroute some connection via alternative links, some remained allegedly untouched (Israel, Lebanon, Iraq), and Iran seems to be still completely silenced.

I just hope this does not mean a pending major attack on Iran (or Syria, or Gaza). Also, I believe in the USA it is the Superbowl weekend coming right now - so without knowing what's going on, who the dark forces are, and what their intensions are, you better go diving than spending your time at the stadium. It may be safer. Just do not pull any cables anymore - or you shut down the entire Internet!

 

[demasoni]

I just hope this does not mean a pending major attack on Iran (or Syria, or Gaza). Also, I believe in the USA it is the Superbowl weekend coming right now - so without knowing what's going on, who the dark forces are, and what their intensions are, you better go diving than spending your time at the stadium. It may be safer. Just do not pull any cables anymore - or you shut down the entire Internet!

Oh, I won't be at the stadium - I'll be in HD flatscreen heaven smoking a stogie and drinking scotch while pigging out on all things fried!

 

[trux]

News about the cable cuts multiply, and since some sources use different names for the cables, or misplace locations, it sometimes leads to uncertainty whether 2, 3, 4 or even 5 cables were cut. I managed to eliminate some apparent mistakes, and so far was able to confirm the 3 cables mentioned above to be really cut within hours each after the other, but am unable to verify if it occurred in two or three separate incidents:

1. The first incident was a cable owned by FLAG, linking Egypt with Italy. It was cut 8km off Alexandria, Egypt
2. Shortly after the SEA-ME-WE-4 cable was cut either in waters off Marseille, France and/or (?) near Alexandria (see notes below)
3. The next day another FLAG cable, 56km off Dubai was cut

Some sources claim two cables were cut near Alexandria, meaning the FLAG cable, and the SEA-ME-WE-4 which runs in that region too. However most initial news report the SEA-ME-WE-4 cut occurred near Marseille in a separate incident. This website claims the cut occurred 25km from Alexandria's cable station. I am unable to confirm whether there were two cuts on the SEA-ME-WE-4 cable, or just one. In case the cable was cut only in Alexandria, it is also not clear whether they were two separate cuts there, or whether the FLAG and SEA-ME-WE-4 cables were cut in a single incident, but initial reports speak about separate accidents within hours of each other. In contrary, this source speaks about a single incident.

Unlike at the FLAG cable cuts, I was not able verifying the SEA-ME-WE-4 accident on owner's website - they do not have any news or status page.

Alternative routes are used to restore limited functionality. The full repair will take at least ten days according to officials. Other sources speak about 12 to 15 days and some websites predict, based on previous experience with cable repairs, that it can take weeks.

If interested about technical details, maps, statistics and related links check out these links:
dailywireless.org » Mediterranean Submarine Cables Cut
Renesys Blog: Mediterranean Cable Break

And info directly from the FLAG cable owner can be found here:
Flag Telecom

SEA-ME-WE-4's website is at the following address, but they do not have any news page there:
South East Asia Middle West Europe 4 - Cable System Configuration

 

[naiad]

Apparently it was an accident...
How one clumsy ship cut off the web for 75 million people | Technology | The Guardian

 

[Pastor]

Sara, could you please stop pulling the cables when you go down?!

Oh heck, this must be the mystery new boyfriend then rofl

 

[trux]

Apparently it was an accident...

I do not understand why the mass media must run out shouting "accident, accident!" (in the same time shouting "terrorists, terrorist!" all the time, mostly without any reasons at all), when cable companies themselves clearly tell that the cause cannot be determined until the repair robots are deployed. And experts claim that hitting a cable by an anchor is not so simple - in shallow waters the cables are actually burried and marked in maps and by buoys. So telling right now, without having any proofs, that there were three very unusual and rare cuts in the same time by an accidental coincidence, is premature at its best.

 

[Marwan]

you know, the boat anchor theory was the first to pop in my mind last wednesday,especially that the weather was sh*t that day and "stormy" in that part of the med, but what about the cable that got cut between UAE and oman...also another anchor at the same time??? i dont know. looks pretty unlikely though

 

[trux]

AFP reports that Egyptian Ministry of Maritime Transport ruled out dammage to the cable coused by a ship - the cables are in a no-go zone under permanent camera surveyance and no ships were detected in that area in the time from 12 hours before to 12 hours after the incident. It means if it was a vessel as previously claimed, it had to be a submarine. Or perhaps Marwan with his spear gun. Repair robots were not deployed yet though to reveal the details, so we can only speculate.

You can see more information in this article: Egypt Says Ships Didn't Cause Internet Cable Damage - AFP
It also claims a 4th cable between Qatar and UAE was cut, but I suspect it is a mistake and in fact speaking about the 3rd cable cut (FLAG) near Dubai. I may be wrong, but did not manage to find any technical details about any fourth cable cut.

 

[octpora]

Maybe scour that old eel hunting thread for anyone who showed a desire to harvest record sized 'electric eels'. Keep an eye on youtube...

 

[trux]

Make it four

OK, so it looks like the fourth cable is indeed a reality and not a mistake or a hoax. This news article confirms it with more details. It is really a cable linking Qatar and UAE. It means the second one in this region - the first one was the FLAG cable between Oman and UAE cut 56 km off Dubai. According to the above mentioned report, this cable was not cut, but the problem is power related. However, since they tell it won't be repaired before February 8th, I suppose it is unlikely some common failure on the surface power supply, but rather a submarine repeater lost power and needs to be repaired underwater. I guess there is going to be a shortage of cable repair ships soon! Time to learn repairing underwater cables!

Second cable supplying Dubai - I guess this is also the reason why we did not hear since two days from Sara (Island Sands). I am sure she is terribly suffering without us (as most of us do too)

Well, I do not know what exactly is going on (though there are certainly rather obvious possibilities), but I do not think anyone believes in accidents anymore. Something major may be boiling up. Let's hope wisdom prevails over stupidity.

 

[Marwan]

got me there trux..
in my defense, i suffered damage as well, i lost a perfectly new good spear in that shot
haha that would definitely make headlines *looks at his wetsuit and speargun with devlish grin* off we go to the cables

 

[Arob]

This is the first I have heard of this... and I have developers in India who just apologized for a delay... oh dear.
This is very effective sabotage actually
The world may need wet suit police to guard the underwater information highway... wow
That could make a cool TV show
And there could be natural predators too ... like giant Octopii
and then in the second season its revealed that they are actually working for the terrorists!!
And in the season finali the octopi and the terrorists will mount a joint attack... What do you think?

 

[Lockedin]

I suspect Trux! He seems to know a bit too much. Although I like the Marwan after eels theory too! And Sven has been "out on a job".:hmm Is this a new Axis of Evil??? Or is it all of those Bush speeches I've been watching lately?rofl

Joking aside, things such as that are worrisome. As has been said above, let's hope that cool heads prevail.

 

[Marwan]

sh*t, you mention axis of evil and drag the arab in it , how very hollywood of you hahahahaha

 

[Marwan]

incidentally, have you seen the axis of evil comdey tour, very funny...

 

[trux]

It is six cables, now

The situation will apparently not get better any soon - now it is very likely at least six cables that are disrupted. In addition to the Sea-We-Me-4 and FLAG cables cut near Alexandria, another FLAG cable cut off Dubai, and the Q-Tel damaged cable between UAE and Qatar, there is now another breach of Sea-Me-We-4 cable near Penang, Malaysia, and a FALCON cable cut near Bandar Abbas, Iran:

albawaba.com middle east news information::Who cuts undersea cables in the Middle East?

And yes, I agree with Arob that people who are doing this are terrorists, but this time they are apparently from the other camp (call it another axis of evil if you want). And that's also the exact reason why you did not hear about it. Although a major event, it is widely ignored by media. Be assured that if they could blame it on the usual group, they would not drop such opportunity.

 

[demasoni]

After becoming extremely disillusioned with our government in the past few years, I wouldn't expect anything less. :rcard Damn it, everything is a conspiracy!!! Almost makes me want to emigrate up north and start singing "Oh Canada..." and receive free health care.

BTW - Go Giants!