SINGAPORE: Defence officials from Europe and South-East Asia called for stronger collaboration to protect the global network of subsea cables as concerns grow over threats to this vital infrastructure.
Countries such as Singapore and Malaysia are becoming key hubs for the roughly 600 fibre-optic cables that carry nearly all of the world’s data. Meanwhile, a spike in cable damage in European waters, particularly in the Baltic Sea, has heightened fears about the network’s vulnerability.
"We need to work together to defend the entire network,” Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security forum on Sunday. "There’s no point trying to defend the integrity and security of a submarine cable by looking at a point. We need both ends to be secure.”
The issue came up repeatedly during the two-day summit in Singapore, with European officials keen to share what they’ve learned from the recent rise in subsea cable damage. Today, the global undersea cable network stretches about 1.4 million kilometres.
With the demand for data centre power projected to surge significantly with the advent of intensive AI platforms, more cables are essential. Protecting them has become a key imperative in Europe since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with incidents in its waters mostly involving tankers traveling to and from Russia, and in at least one case, a Chinese vessel.
A rise in the sale of subsea cable systems could see investment reach US$15.4 billion between 2024 and 2028 as data centre construction booms, connectivity needs soar and the role of big tech companies expands in the market, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
Despite suspicions of sabotage, there’s been no strong evidence pointing to deliberate attacks, with the incidents more likely to be accidents or careless behaviour. Still, NATO countries have increased patrols in key areas to ensure the safety of undersea infrastructure.
The European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas urged European and Asian partners to work together at sea to tackle covert "shadow fleets” of tankers and review maritime security laws.
Protecting digital cable infrastructure is important for the Philippines too, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in an interview. He added that his country, which is locked in a long-running dispute with China in the South China Sea, is working to build up its capabilities to address the threat.
Thailand also called the issue a pressing concern, with Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai saying the country is collaborating with Singapore and Brunei. He added, undersea infrastructure faces risks not only from sabotage, but also from accidents and natural disasters. - Bloomberg
