Ireland fears undersea cables face growing threat from ‘malign actors’
Summary
Ireland is concerned that undersea cables near its waters could face sabotage or accidental damage, amid increased Russian vessel activity. The country’s location makes it important to transatlantic communications, while its limited maritime monitoring capacity has raised questions about how well it can protect the infrastructure.Key Facts
- About 75 percent of transatlantic subsea cables pass through or near Irish waters, according to the Irish government.
- Ireland hosts major U.S. technology companies, including Google, Microsoft and Meta, and has a growing concentration of data centres.
- In November 2024, Ireland monitored the Russian vessel Yantar near undersea infrastructure in the Irish Sea and escorted it out of Ireland’s exclusive economic zone.
- The UK Ministry of Defence said Yantar was later seen near critical undersea infrastructure in UK waters.
- Ireland has limited capacity to monitor its waters, has no submarines and is not a member of NATO.
- Ireland’s navy has recently gained authority to board and inspect suspicious vessels.
- Defence Minister Helen McEntee has identified vessels linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet as a concern for Irish waters.
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