Taiwan court orders Chinese captain to pay $560,000 after subsea cable incident

A Taiwanese court has ordered a Chinese ship captain to compensate Chunghwa Telecom with about $560,000 after a cargo vessel damaged the Tai-Peng No. 3 subsea cable in the Taiwan Strait, Maritime Executive reports. The financial ruling follows a three-year prison sentence issued in June 2025 over the same incident, highlighting Taipei’s stricter approach to protecting critical maritime infrastructure.

The case centers on the Hong Tai 58, a Togo-flagged ship crewed by Chinese nationals. In February 2025, the vessel anchored near southwest Taiwan inside a clearly marked no-anchoring zone that protects underwater communications lines. Coast Guard officers tried several times to contact the ship but received no response.

Investigators later confirmed that captain Wang Yuliang ordered the anchor to be dropped despite chart markings showing the cable route. The vessel then moved in a zigzag pattern. Shortly afterward, Chunghwa Telecom reported an outage on the line linking Taiwan with the Penghu Islands. Courts concluded the cable was damaged by anchor dragging.

The captain denied deliberate sabotage but admitted the damage could have resulted from negligence. He faced a possible seven-year sentence, yet the court imposed three years in prison. His appeal was rejected, while the remaining seven crew members were deported due to insufficient evidence.

In a separate civil claim, Chunghwa Telecom sought compensation exceeding $600,000 to cover repair vessels, escort operations, and replacement materials. The court ultimately awarded roughly $570,000, placing financial responsibility on the captain.

The incident became part of a broader pattern that prompted Taiwan to tighten monitoring of vessels sailing under flags of convenience, especially ships suspected of links to Chinese ownership.

 

Picture: TradeWindsNews