UK Moves to Jail Undersea Cable Saboteurs for Up to 14 Years

The British government has proposed prison sentences of up to 14 years and unlimited fines for damaging undersea cables and pipelines. The move reflects growing concern about "hybrid warfare" by hostile states, including physical and cyberattacks on the cables or on the installations and digital systems on land. According to the consultation white paper, the new offences would cover telecommunications cables, electricity interconnectors and pipelines that carry 99% of the UK's international data traffic and supply 74% of its gas.

The proposals would replace the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885, which carries a maximum fine of £1,000 and five years' imprisonment for deliberate damage. Under the new plan, deliberate damage would carry up to 14 years, reckless damage up to 10 years and gross negligence up to two years. The source points to the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia, damaged by a tanker's anchor on Christmas Day 2024, with repairs estimated at €50 million to €60 million.

The government also plans statutory security and resilience requirements for subsea telecommunications operators, with powers to direct cable and repair providers on national security grounds. Separate rules would cover fibre-optic sensing technology, which can detect activity at sea but could expose sensitive information. Ministers cited a warning earlier this year that a Royal Navy submarine had surfaced near a Russian spy ship mapping this infrastructure.