TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A Chinese cargo ship captain received a three-year prison sentence Thursday (June 12) for recklessly damaging a critical submarine communications cable off Taiwan's coast. The Tainan District Court (台南地方法院) found Captain Wang guilty of severing the TPC-3 submarine cable, managed by Taiwan's state-owned telecommunications giant Chunghwa Telecom (CHT, 中華電信), after illegally dropping anchor in a restricted maritime zone. The landmark ruling, which can be appealed, represents Taiwan's judicial system taking a firm stance against maritime violations that threaten the island's vital communications infrastructure.
Captain Wang's cargo vessel Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58) illegally anchored within a designated no-anchor zone located five nautical miles off Taiwan's Tainan Beimen District (北門區) from Feb. 22 evening through Feb. 25 early morning. The anchor chain, deployed under Wang's direct orders, catastrophically failed to secure properly to the seabed, causing the massive vessel to drift uncontrollably in a dangerous zigzag pattern across the restricted waters. This erratic drifting movement resulted in the complete severance of the strategically important TPC-3 submarine cable, causing significant disruption to regional communication signals and international connectivity.
Chunghwa Telecom confronts substantial financial losses exceeding NT$17 million (around US$574,000) in repair costs and additional NT$1.8 million (around US$61,000) in shipping agency fees resulting from the extensive cable damage. Wang admitted to ordering the anchor deployment but vehemently denied intentionally damaging the submarine cable, acknowledging only professional negligence in his maritime operations. The court rejected Wang's defense arguments, definitively ruling that his reckless actions directly caused the critical infrastructure cable's complete rupture and subsequent communications disruption.
The Tainan District Prosecutors Office (台南地檢署), Taiwan's regional prosecution authority, completed its comprehensive investigation April 11, resulting in Wang's formal indictment and the initiation of criminal court proceedings. The court ordered Wang's detention pending legal resolution while dismissing all charges against seven crew members due to insufficient evidence of their involvement in the cable damage incident. Taiwan's immigration authorities subsequently deported the crew members, demonstrating the government's measured approach to distinguishing between individual criminal responsibility and collective crew culpability in maritime infractions. ◼