The new deep-sea cable-cutting device can sever lines at depths of up to 4,000 meters and has been designed for China’s advanced crewed and uncrewed submersibles.
In a move that could disrupt crucial undersea communication networks and energy infrastructure worldwide, a Chinese scientific body has unveiled a compact device that can cut cables and power lines located deep in the ocean.
Developed by the China Ship Scientific Research Centre (CSSRC) and its State Key Laboratory of Deep-sea Manned Vehicles, the device targets armoured cables—made of steel, rubber, and polymer—that carry 95% of global data transmission.
Capable of cutting lines at depths of up to 4,000 meters (13,123 feet), twice the depth of existing subsea communication infrastructure, the tool is designed for integration with China’s advanced crewed and uncrewed submersibles, including the Fendouzhe (Striver) and Haidou series.
Concerns over global security, communication stability
Originally developed for civilian salvage and seabed mining, the tool’s dual-use potential raises concerns for other nations. For instance, cutting cables near strategic chokepoints like Guam—vital to the US military’s second island chain defense strategy—could disrupt global communications signalling a geopolitical crisis, the South China Morning Post reports.
The cutting tool’s design has successfully addressed several significant technical challenges posed by deep-sea conditions, according to the team, led by engineer Hu Haolong, in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese-language journal Mechanical Engineer on February 24.
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