Report: Ireland Again Tracked Cargo Ship That Anchored Near Undersea Cables

According to reports in the Irish media, a small cargo ship that raised the suspicions of German authorities earlier this year has now been tracked twice by Ireland’s Defense Forces. The incidents came as many countries remain on alert and worry about potential damage to their undersea cables and other assets.

The Irish Examiner and The Journal.ie are each recounting that the Irish Naval Service and Air Corps were put on alert as a small cargo ship, Arne (9,150 dwt) was thought to possibly be acting suspiciously near undersea cables. According to the news accounts, the vessel was first questioned in February just days after it was stopped by German federal police for an investigation related to cable damage in Sweden. Again, yesterday, March 20, the Irish authorities were tracking the ship as it was sailing in its coastal waters.

The ship which is registered in Antigua and Barbuda and managed from Latvia is now docked in the Irish port of Aughinish on the southwest coast near Limerick. Its AIS signal indicates it was coming from Spain where it had departed on March 15. The Air Corps tracked the vessel yesterday according to the newspapers in part due to a previous incident off the northeast coast of Ireland earlier this year.

The ship was identified as suspicious after German authorities reported stopping it on February 24 in Kiel. At the time the reports said it was missing its port-side anchor. Fears were running high after Sweden reported cable damage near Gotland, but after a three-hour investigation, the German authorities permitted the vessel to continue its voyage.

The Journal.ie reports that Irish authorities then detected the same ship off the northeast coast and the Air Corps was sent to investigate. According to the unconfirmed reports, the surveillance airplane filmed the vessel dropping its anchor. The Irish Defense Force reportedly contacted the ship ordering it to stop its anchoring and back away from the sensitive area with the cables. Journal.ie says the vessel fled but notes it was unclear if it was international targeting or bad seamanship.

The Defense Force refused to comment on yesterday’s incident saying it normally monitors vessels in Irish territorial waters.