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Mediterranean Undersea Cables Cut, Again

miller60 writes "Three undersea cables in the Mediterranean Sea have failed within minutes of each other in an incident that is eerily similar to a series of cable cuts in the region in early 2008. The cable cuts are already causing serious service problems in the Middle East and Asia. See coverage at the Internet Storm Center, Data Center Knowledge and Bloomberg. The February 2008 cable cuts triggered rampant speculation about sabotage, but were later attributed to ships that dropped anchor in the wrong place."

27 of 329 comments (clear)

  1. Re: Dropping Anchor by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    dropped anchor in the wrong place.

    As it turns out, that is a pretty serious offense ... the last time I dropped anchor in the wrong place, I ended up in the drunk tank at the county jail with both indecent exposure and drunk in public charges.

    --
    My work here is dung.
  2. Soooo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If they used an axe to cut the lines, would that be construed as illegal hacking of cable?

  3. Oblig. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shadowy American intelligence services recovering all of their snooping gear before Obama gets into office...damn shame.

    All that hassle to cause commotion and outages by putting it there in the first place, and less than a year later they gotta get it back. Many years from now we will find its remains scattered across the ocean floor.

  4. Don't drop anchor where? by tacarat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sorry boss. Must not have gotten the email.

    --
    "Common sense will be the death of us all"
  5. Re:Looks like anchor drag to me. by CorporateSuit · · Score: 5, Funny

    The article's timing of the outages (SeaMeWe 3&4 within minutes, FLAG half an hour later) and the relative proximity of the cable courses suggests either anchor drag or someone who cares enough to make it look that way.

    Or Godzilla

    --
    I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.
  6. New conspiracy theory by Wonko+the+Sane · · Score: 5, Funny

    "dropped anchor" is the new "weather balloon"

  7. Re:Now hold on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just don't jump to conclusions.

    I just bought my new mat though....
     

  8. The pr0n names of the cables... by owlnation · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Sea Me We 3 and 4"

    Sounds like two girls one cup. I suspect radical feminist sabotage this time.

  9. Re:Hmm. by zappepcs · · Score: 3, Funny

    I understand that the Somalis have recently started going legit with some of their most recent acquisitions...

    I imagine that the price would be something in the area of one tanker full of crude oil with Saudi registration... repainted to look like a Jewish fishing trawler of course.

  10. Re: Dropping Anchor by all5n · · Score: 5, Funny

    We dont have them.

    As far as you know.

  11. Re: Dropping Anchor by theaveng · · Score: 4, Funny

    You know too much. Go quietly with the men in black who will shortly be knocking on your door..... now.

    --
    FOX NEWS.com should be BANNED from television and internet. Have the Congress take it over and give us Truespeak.
  12. Nice map they've got by gujo-odori · · Score: 3, Funny

    Did anyone notice on their map of the Med that Sicily is mislabeled as Malta?

    Malta is a much smaller island that lies roughly south by southeast of the southeastern corner of Sicily, about 1/4 of the way between Sicily and Libya.

    With maps like this, I think we can attribute the cuts to a backhoe operator digging where the map said to ;)

  13. Cthulhu by lupinstel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cthulhu needed something to floss his teeth with.

    --
    Don't blame me, I voted for Cthulhu.
  14. So THIS is what the RIAA meant! by Doug52392 · · Score: 5, Funny

    So I guess THIS is what the RIAA meant when they said they would get ISP's to agree to start cutting off user's Internet access rather than suing millions of people...

    1. Re:So THIS is what the RIAA meant! by enharmonix · · Score: 4, Funny

      So you think its pirates? Or, wait. No, now I've gone and confused myself.

  15. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  16. Re:Looks like anchor drag to me. by T+Murphy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Or Godzilla

    Godzilla? Do you have no faith in science at all? ...noting the location it is far more likely to be a kraken.

  17. Sorry! by AioKits · · Score: 3, Funny

    I was piloting one of those new British subs with Windows on it and I kinda got spooked when Clippy popped up and fired a torpedo by accident right at the cable. Damned animated paperclip.

    --
    "Quote me as saying I was mis-quoted." -Groucho Marx
    1. Re:Sorry! by JCSoRocks · · Score: 3, Funny

      It looks like you're attempting to sabotage European-Asian communications! Would you like to fire a torpedo?

      --
      You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
  18. Re:As the old saying goes... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Once is an accident, twice is coincidence..."

    Need I remind everyone what a third incidence would point to?

    A trincidence?

  19. Re:Looks like anchor drag to me. by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 3, Funny

    I need my daily conspiracy fix, damn it!

    It was Gov Blagojevich sent by PE Obama to
    extort money from mid East governments to fund an invasion of Finland.
    "Nice cable you got here, how much is it worth to you?"

    Either that or Col Mustard in the library with the candle stick.

  20. Re: Dropping Anchor by mr_mischief · · Score: 5, Funny

    I bet the coastline where the cable comes out of the water and onto land is shallower than that!

  21. Summary by Ogive17 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Good post, but I think I can summarize it quickly for the typical /.er.

    Shit happens.

    --
    "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
  22. Re:Now hold on by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

    And let me tell ya', Sammy don't like cable.

    I can sympathize with the poor bastard, he's probably a Time Warner customer too.

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  23. Re: Dropping Anchor by Kamineko · · Score: 4, Funny

    From your description, I'm guessing it's a washing machine.

  24. Re: Dropping Anchor by Scrameustache · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's hardly a big secret. There have been the USS Parche and the USS Jimmy Carter to name just two.

    Why the data-snooping sub wasn't named the Nixon, I'll never know!

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  25. Re: Dropping Anchor by Mr+Z · · Score: 4, Funny

    Perhaps the sub is made of irony?