Chinese scientists have unveiled a deep-sea device capable of severing underwater cables, thereby granting China the capacity to disrupt global communications.
This marks the first official announcement by any nation that it possesses a tool capable of disrupting critical underwater networks.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) states that the instrument, which was specifically engineered for integration with advanced Chinese manned and unmanned submersibles, including the Haidou series and Fendouzhe (Striver), was capable of severing lines at depths of up to 4,000 meters (13,123 feet), which is twice the maximum operational range of current underwater communication infrastructure.
The State Key Laboratory of Deep-Sea Manned Vehicles, a subsidiary of the China Ship Scientific Research Center (CSSRC), has developed a device to detect reinforced cables that are covered with layers of steel, rubber, and polymer sheathing. These cables are responsible for 95% of global data transmission.
The prospective dual use of this tool could be of concern to other nations. For example, the SCMP reported that the destabilization of global communications during a geopolitical crisis over Taiwan could be achieved by cutting cables near strategically important locations, such as Guam, which is a critical component of the U.S. military’s defense strategy for the second island chain, which is designed to contain China. The U.S. appears to be the target of this warning.
Engineer Hu Haolong, who published an article in the Chinese journal Mechanical Engineering, led a team that developed the device. The publication claims that the scientists overcame numerous significant technical challenges associated with deep-sea operations while designing the cutting tool.
Furthermore, the SCMP observes that conventional cutting blades are incapable of managing steel-reinforced cables. Hu Haolong’s team devised a solution by employing a 150mm diamond-coated grinding wheel that rotates at 1,600 RPM, which is able to degrade steel. Robotic arms can manipulate the tool and mount it on submersibles, even in zero-visibility conditions.
History of Underwater Cable Cutting
The SCMP article is evidently propaganda in nature, which is likely to be associated with the intensification of U.S.-China tensions.
In actuality, technologies for the destruction of underwater cables have been in existence for a considerable amount of time, and the novelty of Hu Haolong’s invention may be limited to the usage of a diamond-coated grinding wheel.
The United Kingdom was a pioneer in the severing of underwater communication cables.
The German military was compelled to rely on radio communication for encrypted messages during the initial hours of World War I, as the British cable-laying ship Alert severed all underwater cables in the English Channel. The British were subsequently able to intercept and decode these messages.
In retaliation, the Germans targeted adversary cables at greater depths. The German submarine U-151, which was equipped with a cutting device, effectively severed communication lines between New York and Nova Scotia, as well as New York and Panama, in 1918. The act of cutting cables persisted in all theaters of conflict throughout World War II.
In 1918, Irish Republican Army combatants severed an underwater cable that connected Ireland and England.
There has been a rise in the number of underwater cable damage incidents in recent years, which frequently appear to be false-flag operations.
A highly classified 9.5-ton cable, which was 2.5 miles in length and buried at a depth of 2.5 kilometers in the Norwegian Sea, vanished in November 2021. This cable connected sonar and underwater sensors to coastal surveillance stations.
The Lofoten-Vesteralen (LoVe) Marine Observatory was rendered inoperable because of the “extensive damage” characterized by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR), one of Europe’s largest marine research institutes. The network of underwater cables and sensors on Norway’s continental shelf, known as LoVe, was entirely operationalized in August 2020.
LoVe was impacted by interference that disrupted the connection between the control station in Hovden on the northern Langøya island of Norway and the sensor network, as reported by Dagens Naeringsliv. Afterward, a Norwegian unmanned submersible identified the cause of the malfunction as one of the underwater observation platforms, which had been relocated from its usual location and had its connecting cable severed and removed. The experts were unable to provide an explanation for the occurrence.
Accusations and suspicions
According to The Drive, a U.S. publication, a remote-controlled vehicle was dispatched to investigate the missing cable; however, no evidence of theft was found.
According to experts from the Russian Academy of Military Sciences, the cable could have been severed and removed without leaving any evidence— only by the military forces of the country that installed it.
The United States suspected that the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet was responsible; however, Norwegian authorities refuted this assertion. Sissel Rogne, the director of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, submitted a police report regarding the cable’s disappearance, suggesting the possibility of a criminal investigation.
Geir Pedersen, the chief of LoVe, revealed in a press statement that something or someone had torn the cables in remote areas. He also noted that over 2.5 miles of fiber optic and electrical cables had been cut and removed.
Despite Norwegian skepticism, American analysts cited the Russian research vessel Yantar, which had been near underwater cables in the North Atlantic.
However, the Yantar was actually located in a completely different area of the Atlantic.
Naval News, an American maritime portal, reports that the Russian ship Yantar has made an appearance off the Atlantic coast of Ireland and has established a stationary position between two underwater internet cables. The vessel relocated to a position between the cables and remained there for an extended period before continuing its southwest voyage, as indicated by AIS (Automatic Identification System) data collected by MarineTraffic.com.
It modified its trajectory to parallel the anticipated path of the Celtic Norse submarine cable mere hours prior to its termination. Close by is AEConnect-1, an additional cable that connects the United States and Ireland.
Thus, the Americans independently verified that Yantar had an alibi in the case of the missing 2.5-mile-long Norwegian cable, as the Russian research ship was conducting an investigation of other cables between Ireland and the United States at the time.
The Rus (AS-37 Russia) manned deep-sea vehicle, capable of diving to depths exceeding 6,000 meters (20,000 feet), equips Yantar. The submersible is launched from the starboard side and is held in a large hangar. Two A-frame winches on the ship’s stern deploy smaller submersibles and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). These systems have the capacity to interact with seabed infrastructure, including internet cables. Additionally, Naval News reported that Yantar employs both aboard and towed sonar systems to map the ocean floor.
The American Point of View
In a recent interview with The Washington Post, U.S. Rear Admiral Andrew Lennon maintained his conviction that Russia was culpable for the disappearance of the Norwegian cable, despite the evidence.
It seems the LoVe network was the subject of further investigation, as Russia has special-purpose submarines that are capable of cutting, intercepting, or physically removing cables. The potential threat posed by Russia’s Losharik ultra-small nuclear submarine, which is difficult to detect and monitor, has been emphasized by the U.S. Northern Command.
Nevertheless, Losharik was never observed in the Norwegian Sea during November 2021.
All major global military powers possess special-purpose underwater vehicles.
In late December 2024, underwater internet and electrical cables in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia were severed. Finland apprehended an oil tanker owned by the United Arab Emirates, alleging that it was a member of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and that the cables had been severed.
The oil tanker Eagle S was boarded and seized by the Finnish Coast Guard, according to Sky News. The Coast Guard team assumed control and escorted the vessel into Finnish waters, as per Helsinki police superintendent Jari Liukku.
Robin Lardo, director of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, stated to Sky News that they were conducting a thorough investigation into severe sabotage. The bureau believes that an anchor caused the damage.
Nevertheless, the Finnish authorities released the tanker on March 2, 2025, thereby affirming that it was not involved in the incident, as reported by Deutsche Welle.
Broader Perspective
Russia, like China and Western military powers, is capable of conducting underwater sabotage operations to disrupt strategic communications in adversarial nations.
While NATO has been suspecting the Russians, the Russians say that the Western saboteurs are the ones who engage in these types of activities.
Sergey Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), stated on October 7, 2024, that Moscow has “credible evidence” of direct U.S. and UK involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
Naryshkin asserted the involvement of professional saboteurs from Anglo-Saxon intelligence services.
He asserted that the United States sought to irrevocably sever Europe’s connections to Russia, as it was concerned that European capitals would not voluntarily undermine their economies at Washington’s request.
These same factors could motivate Western accusations against Russia over damaged submarine cables.