Anchor drags cause 70% of cable faults but no global system tracks anchoring near cable routes

Accidental anchor strikes from commercial shipping cause approximately 70% of all submarine cable faults. Ships routinely anchor over cable routes because their navigation systems do not display cable positions, and cable protection zones (where anchoring is prohibited) are poorly enforced. A single container ship anchor can sever multiple co-located cables in a cable corridor. The 2024 Red Sea cable damage was caused by a Houthi-attacked ship dragging its anchor across a cable corridor. This persists because the IMO has no mandatory requirement for ships to integrate cable route data into their navigation systems, cable operators have no authority to enforce no-anchor zones in international waters, and AIS vessel tracking is not linked to cable route databases to provide real-time alerts.