The Taiwanese government alleged that a Chinese-owned vessel cut an underwater internet cable in an act of sabotage.
The incident occurred on Friday when a Hong Kong-owned and Cameroon-flagged cargo ship, Shunxing 39, was discovered cutting an undersea communications cable connecting the island nation with the wider world, according to the Wall Street Journal. Chunghwa Telecom, the government-owned state telecommunications company, said that internet service was largely unaffected.
The vessel had been operating off the northern coast of Taiwan for two weeks. After the Taiwanese Coast Guard was alerted, it was apprehended following a nine-hour hunt.
Weather conditions prevented a team from boarding the ship, but it collected radar and navigation data for further investigation. It was discovered that several crew members were Chinese nationals.
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