The Chinese-owned 'Shun Xing 39', suspected of damaging a subsea cable off the north coast of Taiwan, appears to have been using two different AIS transponders at the same time, according to Taiwan's Coastguard. On Jan 3 at about 12.40 p.m. the Chungwha Telecom notified Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) that a subsea communications cable had been severed just off the coast of Keelung, which was a component of the Trans-Pacific Express, a high-speed fiber optic cable linking China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and the United States. At about 5 p.m. a patrol boat intercepted the Hong Kong-owned 'Xing Shun 39' at a position near the cable break. The Coastguard crew was unable to board the freighter because of rough weather conditions, and instead of heading for Keelung, as directed, the 'Xing Shun 39' got under way for Busan, and departed Taiwanese jurisdiction later that day. The CGA identified the vessel as the 'Shunxing-39', a ship that does not exist in IMO records. The authorities now believed that the freighter was using two different AIS devices and two different identities: its legitimate name, 'Xing Shun 39', and a closely-matched fake name, 'Shunxing-39'. By switching back and forth, the ship created an interrupted AIS record. The ship appeared to switch AIS transponders at about the same time that the Taiwan CGA asked it to halt for an inspection. "Shunxing-39" disappeared from AIS tracking at 4.51 p.m., and 'Xing Shun 39' appeared one minute later at a position about 50 feet away. Though the freighter is now out of reach of Taiwanese authorities, they have asked officials in the port of Busan to help in obtaining evidence from the vessel if it arrives in the port. The case will be forwarded to the prosecutor's office in Keelung for possible criminal or civil actions against the freighter. In the meantime, the CGA is launching a comprehensive review of its procedure for responding to potential cable sabotage incidents involving ships, and it is coordinating with other security agencies. The cable is expected to be repaired by Feb 3.
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SANDPIPER PACIFIC
The 'Sandpiper Pacific' was boarded at the Medan Customary Anchorage in pos.3°55.95' N 98° 44.38' on Dec 29, 2024, at 10.35 a.m. by three perpetrators. Nothing was reported stolen. The ship had sailed from Singapore on Dec 25 for orders.
SHUNXING39
The 'Shunxing 39', suspected of damaging a subsea telecoms cable off Taiwan, has stopped transmitting its AIS signals on the high seas, Taiwan’s Coastguard said on Jan 7. The vessel was supposed to sail to South Korea after it was briefly detained by Taiwan’s Coastguard on Jan 3 on suspicion of dragging its anchor over an international subsea cable northeast of the island. The island’s main telecommunications provider, Chunghwa Telecom, received a notification on the morning that the cable, known as the Trans-Pacific Express Cable, had been damaged. The cable also connects to South Korea, Japan, China and the USA. Ccommunications were quickly rerouted after the damage was detected. Taiwan has asked the South Korean authorities for assistance in the investigation into the ship, after rough seas prevented them boarding the vessel near northern Taiwan, and the ship has left the Taiwanese jurisdiction.
SEASPAN LUMACO
On Dec 21, 2024, at 11.10 p.m. the 'Seaspan Lumaco' was boarded by four unarmed perpetrators four nautical miles west of the South Harbour Anchorage, Manila, in pos. 14° 32.73' N 120° 62.08' E. Nothing was reported stolen. The ship arrived in Subic Bay on Dec 23.
