Two Arrested and Held For Cutting Undersea Cables

A while back it was widely reported that a series of undersea cables, supporting telecommunications were suspiciously being cut. Affecting vital communications in the Middle East and India. The cables which were affected belonged to Flag Telecom and caused a disruption of internet services for about two weeks.

Though it was reported at the time no ships were in the area, authorities were able to use satellite images to figure out that two ships were involved and in close proximity each time a cable had been cut.

The two ships — MV Hounslow and MT Ann — were impounded on February 19 when they reached Dubai shores for allegedly damaging the cable network in February.

One of the two ships was released after a Korean shipping company, which owns it, paid huge compensation for damages to Flag Telecom, a subsidiary of Reliance Globalcom. During police interrogation, an official of the Korean ship admitted that the vessel was passing through the area and agreed to pay USD 60,000 as damages.

The second ship, which belongs to an Iraqi company, is still in the custody of Dubai Police and the Coast Guards a police source was quoted as saying. he two sailors who were on board the vessel were arrested and would be referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution next week.

It was Reliance Globalcom who provided details of the ships by studying the satellite images of the ship movements around the area of undersea cable damage off the northern coast of Egypt and the UAE.