China develops undersea cable cutting device
The China Ship Science Research Center and its National Key Laboratory for Deep-sea Manned Submersibles have developed a deep-sea cable cutting device that can cut armored cables covered with steel, rubber, and polymer coatings, and is said to be a civilian device that can be used for seabed mining and salvage operations.
China unveils a powerful deep-sea cable cutter that could reset the world order | South China Morning Post
China's deep-sea cable cutter could disrupt 95% of world communications
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/china-cable-cutter-sever-95-world-communications
The team, led by engineer Hu Haolong, developed the cable cutting device and designed a titanium alloy exterior to withstand the harsh environment of water pressure exceeding 400 atmospheres. To make effective use of the limited energy available in the deep sea, the motor is low-powered and the diamond-coated 15cm diameter grinding wheel rotates at 1,600 times per minute to crush the steel-covered cable while minimizing the impact of marine sediments.
Haolong and his colleagues emphasized that the cable's intended use is for marine resource development.
China is planning to build a deep-sea 'space station' in the South China Sea for long-term research and development purposes. The cable developed this time can be used for such purposes, and is also designed to be compatible with the 10,000-meter-class manned submersible ' Fendouzhe ' developed by China.
Meanwhile, some media have pointed out that the undersea cable cutting device has another use.
The background to this is the frequent cases of undersea cable cuts occurring around the Baltic Sea.
In October 2023 , an undersea gas pipeline and communication cable in the Baltic Sea connecting Finland and Estonia was damaged, and Finnish authorities were investigating the Hong Kong-registered container ship 'NewNew Polar Bear,' saying that 'the cable damage was consistent with navigational behavior.' In November 2024 , the Chinese-registered cargo ship 'YI PENG 3' was investigated in connection with the successive severing of the undersea cable connecting Lithuania and Sweden and the undersea cable connecting Finland and Germany. In December of the same year, Finnish authorities are investigating the Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship 'Xin Xin Tian 2' and a Russian tanker ship as suspected of being responsible for the damage to the undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia. However, some believe that this series of events was 'just an accident.'
Officials are beginning to think that the damage to the Baltic Sea undersea cable, suspected to be caused by Russian sabotage, was 'likely to have been an accident after all' - GIGAZINE
Since undersea cables are important facilities for establishing communication between countries, each country is taking measures to protect the cables. In particular, the United States has strengthened its anti-China strategy by adding Huawei Marine, a Chinese company that operates undersea cables, to the US 'Entity List,' which restricts access to certain products and technologies, and by canceling Google and Meta's plan to directly connect Los Angeles and Hong Kong with a 13,000 km cable, citing the risk of data leaking to China.
NATO forces have also announced plans to deploy unmanned surface vessels to protect power and communications cables that run under the Baltic Sea, and are working with Finnish and Estonian authorities to provide 24/7 surveillance of key areas.
NATO deploys 'maritime drones' to protect undersea cable infrastructure - GIGAZINE
The Hong Kong English-language newspaper South China Morning Post stated that 'if a cable is cut near a strategic point such as Guam, which is essential to the US military's defense strategy, it could disrupt global communications warning of a geopolitical crisis,' suggesting that the newly developed undersea cable-cutting device may be intended for military use.
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