A Taiwanese court sentenced a Chinese captain, identified only by his surname Wang, to three years in prison for damaging underwater cables while overseeing the Togo-registered cargo ship, Chinia crew Hong Tai 58. In February, he was found guilty after it was determined that his vessel’s anchor was dropped near the cables off southwestern Taiwan, causing significant damage.
During the trial, Wang claimed he merely instructed his crew to lower the anchor and denied intentionally harming the cables, attributing the incident to negligence. However, the court ruled that the anchor’s positioning led to the cables being severed, resulting in repair costs exceeding $17 million for Chunghwa Telecom.
Following this judgment, the Chinese government criticized Taiwan, alleging that the investigation was biased. Meanwhile, seven other crew members of the ship were deported due to insufficient evidence against them in the case. Taiwan’s digital ministry reported an increase in underwater cable malfunctions this year, with five incidents recorded thus far.