Taiwan’s coast guard detained the China-linked cargo ship Hong Tai 58 on February 25 after an undersea cable connecting Taiwan to the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait was disconnected, raising concerns over potential “grey zone” harassment by China, according to Reuters.
The vessel, registered in Togo under a flag of convenience, dropped anchor near the cable off Taiwan’s southwestern coast around the time of the disconnection, prompting the deployment of three coast guard vessels for interception.
The Hong Tai 58, crewed by eight Chinese nationals, had been lingering in the area since Saturday, February 22, and did not respond to repeated coast guard calls, as noted in a coast guard statement.
“All eight crew members are Chinese nationals and (we) do not rule out the possibility of the Chinese activity of grey-zone harassment,” the coast guard said, adding that further investigation is needed.
The ship, suspected of Chinese ownership despite its Togolese registration, was escorted to Anping Port for a national security-level probe, as confirmed by a senior Taiwan security official, who remarked, “It’s beyond the normal range,” citing the vessel’s unusual behavior.
The digital ministry reported no communication disruptions between Taiwan and Penghu, as services shifted to backup cables, but the incident marks the fifth sea cable malfunction in 2025, compared to three each in 2024 and 2023. In 2023, two undersea cables to the Matsu Islands were cut, severing internet access, with Taiwan authorities attributing the disruption to Chinese vessels but finding no evidence of deliberate tampering.
Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is a Taiwanese government agency under the Ocean Affairs Council, headquartered in Taipei, responsible for maritime security, search-and-rescue, and border protection, including monitoring undersea cables.
Chunghwa Telecom is Taiwan’s largest telecommunications provider, a partially state-owned company headquartered in Taipei, operating the undersea cables connecting Taiwan to Penghu and other regions.