Norwegian Undersea Surveillance Network Had Cables Mysteriously Cut

[maximus otter]

Undersea sensors off the coast of northern Norway that are able to collect data about passing submarines, among other things, have been knocked out, the country’s state-operated Institute of Marine Research, or IMR, has revealed. The cause of the damage is unknown, but the cables linking the sensor nodes to control stations ashore are said to have been cut and then disappeared. This has raised suspicions about deliberate sabotage, possibly carried out by the Russian government, which definitely has the means to do so.

The IMR described “extensive damage” to the outer areas of the Lofoten-Vesterålen (LoVe) Ocean Observatory, putting the system offline. LoVe, which was only declared fully operational in August 2020, consists of a network of underwater cables and sensors located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, an area of strategic interest for both Norway and Russia.

A map of the LoVe cable transect and scientific nodes (left) and its position off the coast of Norway (insert), and a schematic layout of the sensors in the LoVe network

LoVe's stated purpose is to use its sensors to monitor the effects of climate change, methane emissions, and fish stocks, providing scientists with a live feed of imagery, sound, and other data.

“Something or someone has torn out cables in outlying areas,” Geir Pedersen, the LoVe project leader, said in a press statement last Friday. Reports indicate that more than 2.5 miles of fiber optic and electrical cables were severed and then removed. In total, LoVe uses more than 40 miles of cables in the Norwegian Sea.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...lance-network-had-its-cables-mysteriously-cut

maximus otter

 

[Vardoger]

Only the Russians to blame. An octopus the size of a kraken may have been able, but not a normal sized octopus.

 

[Ascalon]

This is a bit of a concern. Is it a precursor to something?
Do the Russians want to have something passed in or out that they don't want anyone detecting?

 

[Kondoru]

Maybe they want us to think that.

It would be a lot cheaper than actually developing one

 

[Bullseye]

So no doubt Russian submarines entering the North Atlantic. Quite serious. Interesting given the politics going on at the moment.

 

[Robbrent]

It's a little worrying given what's going on at the moment

 

[Lb8535]

I believe that Russian submarines already have full access to the Atlantic - this would be a minor inconvenience.

 

[Ascalon]

Perhaps this is related to the current build up in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

 

[XBergMann]

Perhaps this is related to the current build up in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

I do hope not as I live in the area.