{
  "id": 652278,
  "title": "Two undersea cables reportedly damaged off the coast of Perth following suspicious vessel activity — company CEO says faults happened ‘straight after each other and in close proximity'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/two-undersea-cables-reportedly-damaged-off-the-coast-of-perth",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-12T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Hardware",
    "slug": "tom-s-hardware",
    "url": "https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/two-undersea-cables-reportedly-damaged-off-the-coast-of-perth-following-suspicious-vessel-activity-company-ceo-says-faults-happened-straight-after-each-other-and-in-close-proximity"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Subco, a company that owns undersea cables servicing Australia, reported that two of its cables - Indigo-West and Indigo-Central - suffered shunt faults in close succession. CEO Bevan Slattery noted that this occurred at the same time as suspicious vessel activity in the area. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has been notified and is investigating the incident, which may be an act of sabotage. The Cable Protection Zone near Perth, established in 2007, extends 51 nautical miles from the shore at depths over 6,500 feet. Despite this zone, the cables still reported shunt faults, which occur due to insulation being broken and contacts being unintentionally made. Slattery shared a track of a marine vessel allegedly near the location of the faults. This incident comes amid rising concerns about undersea cable disruptions, with other nations like Russia, China, and even Taiwan suspected of targeting these vital digital infrastructure.",
  "summary": "Subco CEO Bevan Slattery said that the Australian Federal Police should determine what caused the shunt faults on two undersea cables, which happened in suspicious circumstances. They also noted that a vessel was passing over the area at the same time that the disruption happened.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}