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Captain not prosecuted over Dongyin subsea cable damage
The Lienchiang District Prosecutors' Office announced on July 15 that it would not prosecute the captain of the 'Hai Hong Gong 66' which damaged a subsea cable off Dongyin Island on March 30, citing insufficient evidence. The dredger was carrying out a towing operation to remove the stranded Chinese fishing vessel 'Min Lian Yu 63896'. The prosecutors stated that a fragment of the fishing vessel struck and damaged the core wire of the Dongyin-Beigan section of Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No. 3, which is owned and operated by Chunghwa Telecom. During questioning, the captain denied intentionally damaging the cable, saying he had contacted Chunghwa Telecom personnel before beginning the operation to confirm where the vessel could safely anchor. Ho said there were no abnormalities during the operation and he immediately halted work after being notified that the cable had been damaged. The prosecutors’ statement said after the 'Min Lian Yu 63896' ran aground, its owner initially proposed a salvage plan that included a preliminary underwater survey. However, because of national security concerns, the owner later submitted a revised plan removing the underwater inspection, which was approved by Taiwanese authorities. As no underwater survey was conducted before the operation and underwater work was not permitted, those involved could not determine the conditions around the stranded vessel or the exact location of the subsea cable. As a result, it was decided that Chunghwa Telecom personnel would identify a safe anchoring location that avoided the cable before the work barge dropped anchor. Based on the testimony of Chunghwa Telecom employees and records of messages on Ho’s mobile phone, the prosecutors found that the captain confirmed the anchoring position with Chunghwa Telecom personnel before dropping anchor and attempted to avoid the cable area. The original plan was to lift the stranded fishing vessel intact, but after that failed, the crew switched to breaking up the vessel for removal. No one at the scene knew the subsea cable lay directly beneath the stranded fishing vessel, and no one warned to stop the operation. The prosecutors therefore concluded that although the salvage method changed during the operation, the captain could not have known the stranded vessel was directly above the cable because no underwater survey had been conducted beforehand. They also found that he had followed approved instructions for the salvage operation, making it difficult to conclude that he had acted negligently or intentionally damaged the cable. The office therefore closed the case and decided not to prosecute the captain of the dredger due to insufficient evidence.
Work barge suspected to have damaged a subsea telecommunications cable during wreck removal
The 'Hai Hong Gong 66' was suspected of having damaged a subsea telecommunications cable off Dongyin, part of the Taiwan-governed Matsu Islands late on March 30, 2026. The barge was conducting salvage operations on the grounded Chinese fishing vessel 'Min Lian Yu 63896' (MMSI: 412063896), when it allegedly caused partial damage to core wires in the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No. 3. The CGA's Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch received a report on March 31 from the Chunghwa Telecom, which was indicating a malfunction in the Dongyin-Beigan section of the cable, suspected to have been caused by the vessel's operations. A patrol boat was immediately dispatched to collect evidence and board the vessel. The authorities detained the 11 crew members, who were involved in the operation, and took the captain ashore to provide a statement. The case has been referred to the Lienchiang District Prosecutors' Office for further investigation. The 'Min Lian Yu 63896' had suffered a water ingress and was abandoned by its crew. The vessel drifted ashore near Dongyin on March 21. The fishermen were rescued and returned to China. The owner of the vessel subsequently commissioned the 'Hai Hong Gong 66' to carry out removal operations, which were started on March 30. The CGA continued to monitor the movements of the 'Hai Hong Gong 66', while the Chunghwa Telecom conducted underwater inspections to determine the extent and cause of the damage. The Ministry of Digital Affairs noted that only part of the cable's core wires were affected, and that normal communications had not been disrupted after traffic was rerouted. The ministry coordinated with a cable repair vessel to carry out restoration work, which were expected to be completed in July at the earliest. Reports with photos: https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202604010018 https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2026/04/02/2003854889 https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6333250
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