Undersea Infrastructure Under Threat: How Rogue Anchors Are Becoming Tools of Hybrid Warfare

## Undersea Infrastructure Under Threat: How Rogue Anchors Are Becoming Tools of Hybrid Warfare The vulnerability of the world's undersea cable and pipeline networks has moved firmly into the spotlight, with security analysts and maritime observers warning that ship anchors are increasingly being weaponised — deliberately or otherwise — to sever the arteries of global communications and energy supply. Writing for Splash247, defence and security analyst Elisabeth Braw examines the phenomenon in depth, pointing to the case of the Cook Islands-flagged tanker **Eagle S** as one of the most brazen incidents on record. On Christmas Day 2024, the vessel is alleged to have used its anchor to cause significant damage to undersea infrastructure, an act that Braw characterises as emblematic of a broader pattern of hybrid warfare targeting the seabed. The incident is far from isolated. In recent years, Splash247 has documented a series of cases in which vessels — many linked to so-called 'shadow fleets' operating outside mainstream regulatory oversight — have been implicated in damage to subsea cables and pipelines across European and Baltic waters. Investigators and NATO officials have grown increasingly vocal about the threat, with some incidents now being treated as deliberate acts of sabotage rather than navigational accidents. The strategic logic is straightforward: undersea cables carry an estimated 95 percent of international data traffic, while subsea pipelines remain critical to European energy security. Disrupting them causes disproportionate economic and communications damage at relatively low cost and with plausible deniability — hallmarks of hybrid warfare doctrine. For the maritime industry, the implications are significant. Port state control authorities, flag states, and insurers are under growing pressure to scrutinise the movements and ownership structures of vessels suspected of operating in grey zones. The Eagle S case, in particular, has renewed calls for tighter international coordination on monitoring high-risk vessels transiting sensitive cable corridors. Braw's analysis underscores a challenge that is as much geopolitical as it is maritime: holding actors accountable when incidents occur in international waters, involve flags of convenience, and are designed to obscure the chain of command. As the industry grapples with these threats, maritime security professionals are urging greater investment in seabed monitoring technology, enhanced information-sharing between coastal states, and clearer international legal frameworks for prosecuting acts of undersea sabotage. *Source: Splash247 / Elisabeth Braw*