On Friday, the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) warned governments to prioritise subsea resilience after multiple cable cuts in the Red Sea disrupted internet access across Yemen, the Gulf, India and Pakistan.
According to AP News, the outages affected major international cable systems, with Microsoft confirming degraded connectivity.
NetBlocks and national operators in Kuwait and Pakistan also reported widespread disruptions.
While the cause remains unclear, experts note subsea cables can be severed by ship anchors, natural hazards or deliberate attacks.
Iain Grainger, Chief Executive of IMCA, said: “The Red Sea cable cuts show that subsea infrastructure is no longer a background issue, it is frontline critical. When cables fail, nations lose connectivity, financial flows are interrupted and economies feel the shock immediately. This sector is now more critical than ever to global security and stability.”
Subsea cables carry 99 per cent of the world’s internet traffic and support $50 trillion in annual financial transactions.
They also carry increasing amounts of renewable electricity through offshore interconnectors.
Disruption in one region can ripple across global systems, affecting communications, markets and energy flows.
Grainger concluded: “What is happening in the Red Sea today could happen anywhere tomorrow. The resilience of subsea lifelines must be embedded in security and energy strategies worldwide. Without urgent action, we risk being caught unprepared.”
IMCA, working with the European Subsea Cables Association (ESCA), has urged governments to treat subsea resilience as a security priority.
The industry is calling for urgent reform of regulatory frameworks to speed up repair mobilisation, investment in dedicated vessels and equipment, training programmes for future engineers and offshore crews and better international cooperation, as outages rarely respect borders.
Red Sea cable cuts highlight need for subsea resilience appeared first on Energy Live News.