£1.4 trillion a day: UK to jail subsea cable saboteurs

Ship owners and operators that recklessly damage the subsea cables carrying the UK’s internet will face tougher fines and prison sentences under new government proposals.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology set out the plans on Friday (29 May), warning that the cables underpin £1.4 trillion in daily UK transactions and that hostile states including Russia are increasingly probing them.

Telecoms minister Liz Lloyd announced the measures in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute, alongside new security obligations on cable operators and emergency powers for government to direct firms to protect the network.

The UK relies on around 64 subsea cables, a system the government describes as highly resilient, with a repair vessel reaching the scene of a break within eight days.

Faults are rare and seldom malicious, with up to 97% caused by fishing activity or vessels dragging anchors, and most pass unnoticed by the public. The cables carry everyday calls, instant messaging and social media as well as services that supply chains, emergency services, the military and the finance industry depend on.

Suspicious activity near the cables is being observed more often, the government said.

In April, the British Armed Forces exposed a covert Russian submarine operation working over critical undersea infrastructure in and around UK waters, with the Royal Navy tracking an attack submarine alongside vessels from Russia’s specialist undersea research fleet.

The government said the worsening geopolitical environment prompted a review of whether existing security and resilience arrangements remain strong enough.

“The UK already has strong protections in place for our subsea cables, but in a more uncertain world we cannot stand still,” said Lloyd.

The proposals would consult on replacing 140-year-old legislation, the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885, with a clearer framework that is harder to evade and carries heavier penalties for owners and operators that intentionally or recklessly damage cables.

For sabotage clearly linked to a hostile state, UK law already allows life imprisonment in the most serious cases, but malicious activity below the surface often sits in a grey zone that is ambiguous in intent, hard to prove and difficult to prosecute.

Lloyd said the changes would send a clear message that reckless or deliberate targeting of cables would carry serious consequences.

The government is also considering obligations requiring owners and operators to prevent, detect and respond to security compromises consistently and promptly, and emergency powers to direct businesses to protect the network during major incidents.

Lloyd pointed to plans to support investment in cable upgrades through what she called common-sense regulation, including exemptions from environmental rules for laying, maintaining and removing cables in deep waters where the impact on marine life is limited.

The full proposals will be published in a white paper later this year, with a consultation to follow.

“True resilience depends on having a healthy thriving telecoms sector, and government must play an active role in creating the conditions for commercial success,” said Lloyd.

“By building a strong domestic industry we don’t just protect infrastructure, we strengthen the UK’s position as a global centre for digital trade.”

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