Vessels of the China Coast Guard conduct law enforcement exercises in an undisclosed area in Autumn 2022. Photo: Screenshot from WeChat account of China Coast Guard

The Shanghai bureau of China Coast Guard launched an investigation into a foreign vessel suspected of anchoring within a protected zone for submarine cables, which posed a serious threat to international communication infrastructure, thepaper.cn reported on Friday.

The incident was detected during routine maritime patrols organized by the Shanghai office of China Coast Guard on January 28, when the foreign ship was spotted for anchoring close to submarine cables.

Upon immediate inspection, the coast guard confirmed that the vessel's anchorage was within the submarine cable protection area, less than 100 meters away from the TPES4 segment of an international communication cable. The act is determined to pose a risk to the safety of the undersea cable.

To prevent potential damage to the cable from the ship's anchor chain during departure, coast guard officers supervised the vessel's removal from the area. The ship's actions are suspected of violating regulations for the protection of submarine cables and pipelines, leading to an official investigation.

Shanghai serves as a vital communication hub in the Asia-Pacific region, with 12 submarine cables passing through its surrounding waters, accounting for about 54.5 percent of China's total international submarine cables, making the city one of the country's most important place for submarine cable protection.

The coast guard will continue deploying vessels to enforce regulations in areas near undersea cables, and rigorously prevent illegal activities such as unauthorized operations, deliberate damage, and actions leading to the disruption of submarine cables and related facilities, according to the Shanghai bureau of China Coast Guard.