The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) today (7th) released the “2025 Report on the Analysis of Causes of Damage to Taiwan’s Submarine Communication Cables and Improvement Measures.” The report indicates that threats to Taiwan’s submarine cables in 2025 were characterized by “nearshore human interference and offshore natural disaster risks,” with damage caused by ship anchors identified as the primary cause of nearshore incidents. In response, the government continues to strengthen cross-ministerial cooperation through four key strategic directions: enhancing resilience by building multiple backup systems and deepening international collaboration; enforcing stricter penalties and early warning mechanisms; strengthening physical protection while encouraging the construction of new submarine cables; and maintaining strong enforcement efforts. This marks a shift in protection strategy from the previous model of “passive repair” to one centered on “proactive defense” and “resilience building.”

For Taiwan, submarine cables are an irreplaceable “digital lifeline.” As of the end of February 2026, 15 international submarine cables and 10 domestic submarine cables had been deployed around Taiwan, all of which were designated as national critical infrastructure (CI). Analysis shows that over the past four years, an average of 7 to 8 submarine cable incidents have occurred annually in Taiwan’s coastal waters (within 24 nautical miles). Among these, damage caused by anchor dragging accounted for an average of 38.3%, meaning that more than one in every three submarine cable incidents was caused by vessel anchoring. Of the seven submarine cable incidents in 2025, three were caused by anchor dragging, accounting for 42.9% of the total. Two of these incidents resulted from illegal anchoring by foreign flag-of-convenience (FOC) vessels, which has emerged as a new type of threat to submarine cable security.

As for damage in offshore waters (beyond 24 nautical miles), the primary cause is submarine landslides triggered by earthquakes. For example, a major earthquake struck the eastern waters of Taiwan at the end of 2025, causing six major international submarine cables--SJC2, PLCN, EAC1, FNAL, RNAL, and EAC2--to experience disruptions in rapid succession within a short period.

To effectively curb acts of submarine cable sabotage, in addition to completing amendments to the Telecommunications Management Act in 2023 to increase criminal penalties for damaging telecommunications infrastructure, the Executive Yuan also pushed for amendments to the “seven laws to protect undersea cables” in 2025, which were promulgated by the President and came into force in January 2026. Through measures such as the confiscation of instrumentalities of crime (vessels) and strengthened management of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) for ships, the cost of illegal activities has been significantly increased. MODA emphasized that the government has actively referred unlawful cases for prosecution. For example, both the 2025 case involving a Togolese-flagged cargo vessel severing the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 (TP3) submarine cable and the case involving a Chinese fishing vessel damaging the Taiwan-Matsu No. 2 (TDM2) submarine cable have resulted in final criminal convictions, fully demonstrating the government’s determination to safeguard digital resilience.

In addition, in response to threats posed by natural disasters such as earthquakes, MODA has also strengthened backup capacity in parallel. In addition to urging operators to actively expand international submarine cable routes, the government has also opened 19 satellite frequency bands and introduced diverse satellite constellations. By building a multi-layered backup system, it aims to comprehensively enhance the resilience of Taiwan’s communications network.

MODA emphasized that Taiwan’s submarine cable protection has entered a phase of proactive defense. Through inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms, the government continues to advance the following four major initiatives, integrating resources and cooperation across ministries to achieve the national communications resilience goal of ensuring “no network disruption even in the event of cable loss” under extreme circumstances.
I.    “Enhancing submarine cable resilience, building multiple backup systems, and deepening international cooperative defense”: Continuously introducing emerging satellite constellations to build diversified communications routes; At the same time, strengthening international cooperation in maintenance coordination and improving the joint defense mechanism for submarine cable security.
II.    “Implementing severe penalties and early warning mechanisms”: Implementing the confiscation of vessels used in criminal activities and investigating vessels with abnormal Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals, while encouraging submarine cable operators to continuously enhance early warning system functions and share submarine cable monitoring intelligence.
III.    “Enhancing physical protection and encouraging the construction of new submarine cables”: Strengthening the physical protection and burial depth of submarine cables, while subsidizing operators to construct new submarine cables, thereby fundamentally mitigating the risks associated with aging infrastructure.
IV.    “Maintaining strict enforcement and high-intensity crackdowns”: Maintaining stringent enforcement and severe penalties against vessels engaged in illegal cross-border sand dredging, preventing the resurgence of unlawful sand extraction, and ensuring the continued stability of the seabed and submarine cable foundations.

For the full report and the latest updates on submarine cable status, please visit the official website of the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA)  https://s.moda.gov.tw/Xt9kZYU6Qa2u https://s.moda.gov.tw/JPhfZoAgQcop to download for reference.