submarine

The US believed it had an invincible aircraft carrier. Until Sweden “knocked him down” again and again with a tiny submarine

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Exactly 20 years ago there was a fascinating scene which showed that brute force or dimensions monstrous They are not as fundamental as was believed when it comes to naval warfare. Shortly before that true story, the United States had announced to the four winds its most modern, heaviest and most grandiose nuclear aircraft carrier in history. So they took the most logical step: put it to the test. The exercise that turned out regular. In 2005, during maneuvers off the coast of California, the United States Navy allowed something unusual: Repeatedly engage a small, relatively inexpensive foreign conventional submarine to improve its anti-submarine doctrine. The chosen one was HMS Gotlanda Swedish diesel-electric submarine of just 1,600 tons. The objective was to train the aircraft carrier battle group USS Ronald Reaganone of the most powerful ships in the world, equipped with escorts, anti-submarine helicopters and advanced sensors. What followed it was unexpected: Time and time again, over two years of simulations, the Gotland managed to infiltrate the formation, position itself to fire, and “sink” the carrier without being detected. The result caused concern in Washingtoninterest in Moscow and Beijing, and a profound reassessment of the role of modern diesel submarines in contemporary naval warfare. The Gotland and the silent advantage. Gotland’s success was based on its system Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), specifically a Stirling engine capable of generating energy without needing to take air from outside. This allowed the ship to remain submerged for up to two weeks, maintaining a constant speed and extremely quiet, something that previous diesel versions they could not achieve. While nuclear submarines require cooling systems that generate detectable vibrations and noise, the Gotland could move almost without leaving an acoustic trace. Its hull was covered with materials that decreased sonar reflection, its tower included radar-absorbing materials, and the internal machinery was mounted on rubber shock absorbers to silence vibrations. Furthermore, it had with 27 electromagnets capable of reducing their magnetic signature before specialized sensors. HS Gotland Mobility and stealth. The Gotland maneuverability It was also decisive. Its design with X-shaped rudders and automated control systems allowed sudden changes in course and depth with great precision, making it suitable for operating in shallow coastal waters, where nuclear submarines are most vulnerable. In the context of the maneuvers against USS Ronald Reaganthe Gotland demonstrated that it could approach at great depth, obtain a firing position, and withdraw before American sensors will even detect alterations in the environment. Although in a real combat the aircraft carrier could survive several impacts, the essential fact is that it would have been knocked out of combat, which would change the strategic outcome of any naval operation. The US Ronald Reagan Economic and doctrinal threat. The Gotland cost about 100 million of dollars, which is approximately equivalent to the cost of two embarked F/A-18 aircraft. The USS Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, cost more than 6 billionwithout counting its escort or its air wing. In terms of cost-effectiveness, a relatively affordable submarine demonstrated that could neutralize an asset which represents the core of US naval projection. This revelation resonated especially in China and Russiawhich have since accelerated the development of AIP submarines. Today, China operates multiple submarine variants equipped with Stirling and Russia works on updated versions from the Lada projectwhile countries such as Japan, Germany, France, Israel, India and South Korea also develop or acquire submarines of this type. The challenge is not only technical, but also strategic: a small number of submarines of this type can make it difficult to use aircraft carriers near hostile coastlines, altering the way powers deploy their force. The “no” to diesel in the US. Despite the impact of the exercise, the US Navy decided not to repeat operate diesel submarines. Their reasoning is based on logistics and strategic reach: the United States deploys submarines thousands of miles from their bases, and needs units that can operate for monthspursue targets at long distances and sustain high speeds without the need to recharge batteries. Diesel-AIP submarines are ideal for defending territorial waters or coastal areas, but less suitable for prolonged ocean operations. For this reason, the US Navy has preferred to invest in nuclear submarines and, more recently, in unmanned underwater systems that could complement or replace escort and patrol missions. What the Gotland revealed. The history of HMS Gotland proves that naval supremacy is not guaranteed for size or cost of combat platforms, but for technological adaptation and understanding the strategic environment. Aircraft carriers remain formidable tools for projecting power, but their vulnerability to silent AIP submarines forces rethink doctrinesinvest in advanced detection and reconsider the type of forces used in environments close to enemy coasts. The key lesson was not the symbolic sinking of an aircraft carrier, but the realization that 21st century naval warfare can turn hierarchies upside down that seemed immovable. Those days showed that, in the ocean, silence is worth more than steel, and a small submarine can change the balance of an entire fleet. Image | WikimediaUS Navy In Xataka | The US has detected a naval advantage over China. The catapult of the Beijing aircraft carriers comes with a “factory” failure In Xataka | China has discovered an advantage to win the aircraft carrier race against the US: a “bubble” in its defense

When the Titan submarine exploded there was nothing left to rescue. Except one very important thing: a memory card

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It has been more than two years since the Titan submarine tragedy and the story continues to make people talk. The last thing we know is that the recovery teams found the camera that was part of the submarine. The camera was damaged, but inside it housed a memory card from which they were able to extract image and video files, although none from the implosion. The discovery. Youtuber Scott Manley told it in your X account. In a series of posts, Manley has published several images of the camera’s recovery report detailing its characteristics and condition. It was a Rayfin Mk2 Benthic underwater cameracapable of submerging up to 6,000 meters deep thanks to its titanium body. Although the case appeared intact, the sapphire crystal lens was shattered. Upon disassembly, many of the components had light damage, but one of the boards included an SD card that was in good condition. The content of the card. Investigators and forensics managed to make a duplicate of the card and extract the contents. In total, they obtained nine images and twelve videos. However, the camera had been configured to save the captures on an external storage device, so it did not contain any images from the day of the fateful dive, but rather they were images taken at the Marine Institute in Newfoundland, which was where the missions to the Titanic departed. In the images they have shared you can see the facilities and some underwater images, but at shallow depths. Catastrophic implosion. The Titan left Newfoundland on June 16, 2023. An hour and 45 minutes had passed when communication was lost, but it was not until four days later that the coast guard found the first remains of the vehicle and confirmed what they suspected: it had imploded. They found remains of the vehicle, but no body of the five crew members could be found. It was avoidable. The Titanic is located at a depth of 3,800 meters, where the pressure is 380 atmospheres. There is vehicles capable of reaching this depth and even more, but the Titan had a long history of problems and his own Former director of operations called the tragedy avoidable. In fact, several members of the underwater exploration community, including James Cameron, They had written a letter to OceanGate where they expressed their concern and assured that they were “going down the path of catastrophe.” The company ceased its activity after the accident. Image | Scott Manley in X In Xataka | Seven questions (and seven answers) about what really happened to the Titanic submarine

A Russian submarine has appeared off the coast of France. And Europe’s reaction has been surprising: have a laugh

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August 2025. After learning through satellite images that the Russian nuclear submarine base had been was damaged After an earthquake, Ukraine leaked all the secrets of Moscow’s most advanced submarine, including its failures. Now, two months later, one of them has appeared off the coast of France. And, instead of fear, Europe has been amused. The silence broken. For days, NATO radars followed the strange figure of a Russian submarine that, instead of slipping secretly under the sea, clumsily advanced on the surface. Was Novorossiyska Kilo-class diesel-electric of the Black Sea Fleet, one of the few assets that still maintained Moscow’s flag in the Mediterranean. His march was slow and visible, accompanied by French, British and Dutch ships that escorted him with the same mix of caution and curiosity with which an injured animal is observed. For the Atlantic Alliance, that voyage was more than just a naval anomaly: it was a exhaustion signa reflection of what remains of Russian maritime power after three and a half years of war, sanctions and irreparable losses. Adrift. The official Moscow version It was immediate. According to the Black Sea Fleet, the Novorossiysk was sailing on the surface simply to comply with international standards when crossing the English Channel. But allied intelligence reports and leaks on Russian security channels painted a different picture: a damaged submarine, with a possible fuel leak, forced to surface repeatedly and, according to some reportseven to empty flooded compartments. The presence of a tugboat, he Yakov Grebelskiyreinforced that suspicion. For NATO commanders, the image of an attack ship “limping” toward its base was not only a metaphor for a technical breakdown, but the demonstration how Russian naval machinery is rusting in the eyes of the world. From Tartus to the Mediterranean. Until a few years ago, Russia maintained a permanent force in the Mediterranean, anchored in the Syrian base of Tartusits strategic bastion in the region. From there it projected power towards the Middle East and North Africa, protecting energy routes and monitoring Western transit. But the fall of the regime of Bashar al Assad in 2024 erased that balance in one fell swoop. With the new Syrian government, Moscow lost its last platform safe outside the Black Sea. Today, how he ironized NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, “there is hardly any Russian presence left in the Mediterranean: just a lonely, broken submarine returning from patrol.” The decline is not measured in the number of sunken ships, but in the disappearance of an entire naval projection doctrine. The laughs. In his speech at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Slovenia, Rutte was so precise as biting. “What a change from Tom Clancy’s novel The Hunt for Red October, he said. Today, more like the hunt for the nearest mechanic.” The phrase, celebrated among the attendees, synthesized the new allied narrative: humor and joke as a language of power. Making fun of your opponent, taking away the mystique of their strength, is also a way of undermining their influence. Behind the irony, however, there was a geopolitical calculation. Rutte remembered the multiple Russian provocations in the last few months (drones over Europe, sabotage of underwater cables, failed plots, cyber attacks and instability in Finland and Poland), and warned that Moscow retains the capacity to inconvenience, although its military muscle has been reduced to symbolic gestures and worn-out threats. The invisible collapse. The Novorossiysk debacle It is not an isolated case. Since 2022, Ukraine has managed to destroy or disable more than thirty of Russian vessels with anti-ship missiles and marine drones. The losses have forced the Kremlin to withdraw a large part of its fleet from Sevastopol and move it to Novorossiysk, on the eastern coast of the sea, to avoid new attacks. That strategic refuge, paradoxically, bears the same name as the damaged submarine that is now trying to reach it. What was a symbol of supremacy in the Soviet era has become a floating cemetery of incomplete projects and demoralized crews. Mirror of war. If you like, the episode from Novorossiysk transcends the anecdotal. It represents the convergence of all fronts where Russia is wasting away: the military, the economic, the technological and the symbolic. Its fleet, once the second in the world, now depends on units that they age without spare partsas Ukraine innovates with drones that cost a fraction of its missiles. And NATO, aware of this, has learned to transform its silent victories in public stories that erode the perception of Russian invulnerability. The image of Novorossiysk advancing in the sight of everyone, towed and watched, it is the perfect image if you want to degrade an empire that can no longer hide its weaknesses. From shadow to emptiness. In the years of the Cold War, Soviet submarines were the silent terror of the Atlantic. Today, his most visible heir is a damaged ship that sails with the flag raised so as not to sink. This passage from shadow to void explains better than any report the real state of the Russian navy. What was previously feared, is now observed even with sarcasm, and what previously inspired respect, now provokes a mocking headline. In this transit we measure, according to Europe, the decline of a power and the rise of a Western communication strategy that no longer needs to confront directly to win. It is enough to unintentionally let the enemy show his shipwreck. And have a few laughs. Image | BORN In Xataka | Russia’s most advanced nuclear submarine was a secret. Until Ukraine has revealed everything, including its failures In Xataka | A ghost fleet has mapped the entire underwater structure of the EU. The question is what Moscow is going to do with that information.

A ghost fleet has mapped the entire submarine structure of the EU. The question is what Moscow will do with that information

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In January 2025 United Kingdom He raised his voice At the international level. The British Secretary of Defense, John Healy, explained that a nuclear submarine and two ships from Royal Navy had sighted a spy ship in the waters of the nation, and that it was the second time in just three months. The message did not stay there. The United Kingdom gave a name and a nation behind the incursion: Yantar and Russia. Now it has been discovered that the ship has been doing much more than that. The resurgence of a war. In recent months, NATO’s attention has moved to a less visible but increasingly critical front: the European seabed. The protagonist of this new concern is, again, The Yantara Russian spy ship that, disguised as a civil ship, toured during almost 100 days The waters of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean with an accurate objective: map and monitor the submarine cables on Europe and North America for their digital communications, their financial transactions, their energy and even their most sensitive military systems. We know all this Thanks to the Financial Timesthat after an investigation based on interviews with NATO naval officers and former members of the Russian north fleet, as well as in radar images of the European Space Agency, he has confirmed that the Yantar came to be located on critical cables in the sea of ​​Ireland and in front of Norway, on the strategic route to Svalbard. The role of Gugi. The Yantar operates under the orbit of the GLAVNOYE UPRAVLENIE GLUBOKOVODNIKH ISSLEDOVII (GUGI), the director of Deep Water Research created in the Cold War and known in the West as Military Unit 40056. Based on Olenya Guba, in the Kola Peninsula, this force is located on the border between the Russian Navy and military intelligence (Gru), dedicated less to science than to espionage. Gugi has about 50 platforms (From minisubmarines capable of reaching 6,000 meters deep to nodriza ships such as Yantar), designed to place sensors, manipulate or sabotage cables and, if necessary, destroy strategic infrastructure in a conflict scenario. Despite the blows suffered (such as the submarine fire Losharik in 2019 or the death of its historic boss by Covid), the organization has continued to receive resources Even in full war of Ukraine, which has allowed to commission new spy units. The Yantar The threat in the gray zone. The reactivation of Yantar’s missions Since the end of 2023 Indicates that Moscow has abandoned the initial caution he showed after invading Ukraine. Analysts like Sidharth Kaoushal (Rusi) They point that Russia has measured NATO’s red lines and is now more willing to take risks. The plans detected in the sea of ​​Ireland, where several cables converge that connect the United Kingdom and Ireland, fit into the Russian logic to act in The so -called “Gray Zone”: Operations of covert sabotage that do not equals an open military attack but can destabilize entire societies. In fact, Western Officers They warn That Moscow could, the case, cut energy or communications to force governments to the negotiation, or even alter the temporal signals that travel through the cables, with devastating effects in sectors such as high frequency financial trade. European vulnerability. The United Kingdom obtains the 99% of its communications Digital of submarine cables and three quarters of its gas through underwater pipelines. Ireland, which does not belong to NATO, is a particularly exposed point: cutting its connections would be to isolate it from the continent without directly attacking an allied member. He parliamentary report British of September 19 warned that the country “could not guarantee an attack or recover in an acceptable period,” also criticizing the fragmentation of responsibilities between ministries. In Denmark, the case of explosions of Nord Stream in 2022 evidenced the same bureaucratic dispersion. Although London has assigned the Royal Navy the mission of Protect these infrastructureexperts point out that the lack of anti -submarine frigates and patrol dependence limit the real response capacity. The Atlantic Bastion project. To close that gap, NATO and especially the United Kingdom they consider the creation of “Atlantic Bastion”: A defensive ring of sensors, submarine drones and acoustic stations in the seabed that reinforces the control of the Greenland-Islandia-Rio-Reinian corridor. Although the plan still lacks concrete financing, its need is increasingly evident. In parallel, surveillance ships such as The British proteus They rehearse with autonomous vehicles capable of documenting the activities of the Yantar and other GGI units, with the idea of ​​exhibiting public evidence and generating deterrence. Admiral Gwyn Jenkins, head of the Royal Navy, He warned This month that Gugi, after a period of relative stillness, “is returning.” Silent war. The activity From Yantar It is not an isolated case: between autumn of 2023 and November 2024, eleven Russian ships (military and supposedly civil) held a almost constant presence in British and Irish waters. Allied intelligence services suspect that Moscow already prepares sabotage scenarios against cables as a pressure measure on the countries that arm Ukraine. While until now these operations have been maintained under the threshold of the open confrontation, the possibility of Russia “turning off” the United Kingdom or Aisle Ireland is not a crazy hypothesis. As summarized Excapitan David Fields, former British naval aggregate in Moscow: “Russian military doctrine consists of hitting first, strong and where it hurts most, to prevent the enemy from even getting rid of war.” On that silent board, the Yantar has become the key piece of a underwater chess that threatens to redefine the limits of European security. Image | Defense ImageryAndrey Luzik In Xataka | A British nuclear submarine has discovered a Russian ship in front of its submarine cables. The second time in three months In Xataka | Research on submarine cables cut in the Baltic has taken a turn: it was not Russia, it was inexperience

The submarine cables were from the teleoperators, and now the great technological ones are controlling them

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Submarine cables They transport 95% of data traffic between continents. They hold Ten billion dollars daily in financial transactions, according to figures collected by Telegeographyand feed from streaming to artificial intelligence networks. And yet, its control no longer belongs to the great traditional teleoperators: it has largely passed to technological giants such as Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon. A deep transformation that raises questions about dependence, digital sovereignty and resilience to geopolitical risks. For more than a century, the submarine cables were a matter of consortiums of public operators and large telecos. Installing them cost hundreds of millions of dollars, And it was common to distribute the risk among several actors in exchange for assigning fiber pairs to each participant. Recent examples, as the 2Africa cable, promoted by goalThey follow this model. However, in just a decade, this balance has jumped through the air. Today, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon They control or manage approximately half of the world underwater bandwidth. Between 2019 and 2023, They financed about 25% of activated cable systems, according to Carnegie Endowment. Globally, The construction of about 60 new submarine cables until 2027 is expected, as indicated by the latest telegeography mapwhich gives an idea of ​​the magnitude of the change of cycle in the control of critical internet infrastructure. How technology took over the underwater routes The qualitative leap is not only in participation: also in full property. Google has in full cables such as Curie (USA-Chile), Dunant (USA-France), Grace Hopper (USA-Spanish-Spanish Reino) and Equiano (Portugal-Nigeria-Sudaphrica). Goal, meanwhile, He has planned Waterworth: A cable of just over 40,000 km that will connect USA directly with important markets of the southern hemisphere, including points in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, deliberately avoiding risk areas such as the Red Sea and the Sea of ​​Southern China. The case of 2Africa, although still based on consortium, also reflects the evolution: here, goal participates significantly as a key partner of the consortium with several operators. Europe is the continent with more mooring cables on the planet, according to the Carnegie Endowment. Two thirds of its external connectivity depend on submarine cableswhich underlines your high strategic exposure. Besides, Much of the European traffic is stored in data centers located in the US, as analyzed by the ITIFincreasing its technological dependence. Faced with this panorama, Europe has some strategic assets, such as Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), World leader in kilometers of cable installed between 2020 and 2024and Orange Marine, which operates one of the largest installation and repair fleets. Paris and Rome have already launched movements to protect Asn and Sparkle as “sovereign industrial champions.” The threat to cables It is no longer just accidental. Russia has intensified its underwater patrols around strategic nodes, and in 2025 China presented a ship capable of cutting cables at 4,000 meters deep, according to the South China Morning Postincreasing its asymmetric pressure capacity on critical routes. In addition, the lack of response capacity complicates the scenario: There are barely 80 ships around the world dedicated to laying and cable repair, according to the Carnegie Endowmentand Europe lacks specialized breaking, necessary to operate in Arctic regions or in marine ice conditions, where new strategic connectivity routes are being explored. The underwater critical infrastructure also faces a fragmented legal framework. Several European countries have not even ratified the 1884 convention cablewhich hinders the Persecution of sabotage acts. Meanwhile, installation and repair permits in Europe They have doubled in duration in the last decadecomplicating the response to incidents. To correct it, the EU and the NATO have created joint initiatives, such as the Critical Unclea Infrastructure Coordination Cell and a Task Force Industrial. However, some analysts insist that Without a drastic increase in resources, Europe will remain at a disadvantage. Towards a more fragmented and dependent Internet The massive entry of great technological responds to a clear logic: Control the physical layer of the Internet allows them to reduce costsimprove efficiency and guarantee alternative routes to crises. For traditional telecos, the dilemma is clear: collaborate or be displaced. Some operators continue to play a relevant role, although adapting to an ecosystem with a strong presence of the great technological giants. In the near future, Intercontinental traffic is expected to double every two years5G driven, cloud distributed e artificial intelligence. Alternative routes are being explored, such as polar corridors, which would significantly reduce Europe-Asia latency. In parallel, fears of a physical “splinternet” grow: cable networks segmented by political alliances, with Europe discussing between its historical openness and the need to protect His strategic interests, as Oxford analysts point out. Although we usually imagine the cloud as an intangible space, the reality is that much rest on a complex physical infrastructure. And that infrastructure, more and more, is controlled by US multinationals. For Europe, the challenge is not just building more cables: it is to ensure that the next generation of the Internet does not depend mostly on foreign actors. Images | Goal | Screen capture In Xataka | Digital serendipia is in danger of extinction. Internet understands us too well

99% of the Internet travels through submarine cables. Now there is a much more ambitious plan in progress: join the electricity grid

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At first glance, the seas are an empty landscape. Under its waters, the image is another, through it a network of invisible highways that already support our day to day: the submarine cables that carry the 99% of world communications. Now, a new generation of electrical interconnectors – thousands of kilometers and gigavatio power – aspires to bring sun, wind and hydraulic where they are missing, when they are missing. The promise is simple: that electricity travels with the sun and wind through schedules; The execution, not so much. The starting point: The North Sea. The United Kingdom and Denmark premiered at the end of 2023 the Viking Link, a 765 km cable that crosses the North Sea and allows you to import electricity when wind is missing on the island and export when left over. It is the longest interconnector in the world in operation, but, as Financial Times warned: “It may not be for a long time.” The British media report details That on the horizon there are much more ambitious plans: join Canada with the United Kingdom and Ireland through a 4,000 km cable, link Morocco with Europe or export Australian solar energy to Singapore through more than 4,300 km of submarine cable. Through the cables. This new megaproject makes it clear that countries have been pursuing a connection with renewables for some time, because there is a mismatch between production and consumption, and we must solve it. The most illustrative example is AapowerLink in Australia. The Suncable company plans to install 3 GW from Solar in the northern territory, store part in batteries and sell it both to Darwin and Singapore, through an underwater cable of more than 4,000 km. In the words of his CEO, Ryan Willemsen-Bell, collected by Financial Times: “Australia has abundant land and sun. The ability to share those benefits with our neighbors has enormous potential.” In parallel, the North Atlantic Transmission One Link seeks to connect the Canadian hydroelectric plant with Europe. The time differential is its great asset: when Canada sleeps, the United Kingdom starts the day; When in the North Sea, wind blows at midnight, New York is preparing dinner. A lesson from the Internet. The idea may sound futuristic, but there are already solid precedents. As we have underlined Xatakathe entire planet is furrowed by submarine data cables, authentic digital highways that have demonstrated the viability of infrastructure of tens of thousands of kilometers. The Southern Cross Cable Network, 30,500 km, connects Australia, New Zealand and the United States since 2000. The newly opened 2Africa, 45,000 km, surrounds the African continent and reaches Barcelona and India. And in Spain, cables such as tide (6,605 km, Meta and Microsoft) or Grace Hopper (7,191 km, from Google) link Bilbao with the east coast of the US. The experience of these data networks provides an obvious parallelism: if we already move information on a global scale, why not also clean energy? Although not everything is so easy. From Financial Times alert a tensioning supply chain: The manufacture of cables, transformers and converting stations does not supply. The waiting deadlines are lengthened, and the availability of specialized ships to tend cable is limited. To that are added political risks. In Norway, the export of electricity to its neighbors has triggered the internal debate on prices. In the United Kingdom, the Government rejected this year to support the X-Links project to bring energy from Morocco, claiming “high level of inherent risk”. And with the ongoing Ukraine War, the threat of sabotages to critical infrastructure It is a fact. Looking inside. In the Spanish case, the problem is more domestic than international. As we have explained in Xatakathe country has run more than anyone to lift renewables in the “emptied Spain”, but has not deployed the cables to bring that electricity to the cities. The result is a “broken bridge”: at noon there are plenty of cheap megawatts that are cut or sell at zero price, and at night the network needs gas support, more expensive the market. According to data from the AELēC employer, 83.4% of connection knots are already saturated, which prevents hooking new consumptions such as industries, data centers or electrolyiners. The challenge, in short, is not to plan and reinforce the networks; as well as improve interdependence with other countries to break With the French bottleneck. A map of interdependencies. Beyond the technical and economic, these electric highways draw a new geopolitical map. Just as pipelines and gas pipelines marked the twentieth century, renewable interconnections can define alliances and dependencies in the XXI. The engineer Simon Ludlam, co-founder of the Canada-UK project, summed it up in Financial Times: “The most important nuclear reactor is in heaven, and its energy can be shared thanks to the rotation of the earth. But we need to be interconnected.” The sun that shines in the Australian desert or the water that falls in Canada could light, in a matter of seconds, the lights of cities to thousands of kilometers. The energy transition not only depends on producing renewables, but also on learning to move them. If the pipelines defined the petroleum geopolitics, the electric highways can become the invisible arteries of the coming world. Image | Unspash and What’s Inside Xataka | The Google Maps of submarine cables: an imposing interactive map that allows us to know the skeleton of the modern world

Storing CO2 is now a business and the first submarine reservoir is in Europe

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Europe already has its first large underwater warehouse of carbon dioxide. The Northern Lights projectdriven by equinor, Shell and totalenergies, just Inject the first tons of CO2 in a reservoir located 2,600 meters under the seabed on the western coast of Norway. Why is it important. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is emerging as one of the few ways to reduce emissions in difficult sectors of decarbonizesuch as cement production, steel or energy from waste. Until now, these technologies looked as experimental or too expensive. With this project, Europe thus opens a commercial system for CO2 transport and storage. As assured Anders Opedal, CEO of Equinor, “This demonstrates the viability of carbon storage as a scalable industry.” In detail. The stored CO2 comes from the cement of Heidelberg Materials in Brevik, south of Norway. After being liquefied and transported by boat until Øgarden, it was pumped by a 100 -kilometer pipeline to the submarine reservoir known as Aurora. The first phase of the project will inject 1.5 million tons per year of CO2, although this same year Northern Lights gave green light to an expansion of the project thanks to a commercial agreement with Stockholm Exergi. A larger bet. The investment of 7.5 billion Norwegian crowns (about 740 million euros) will be the trigger for that expansion with a second phase that The capacity will increase More than 5 million tons per year from 2028. In addition to Stockholm Exergi, among the first clients is also the Danish Ørsted, the Dutch Yara and the Heidelberg Materials itself. “With the beginning of Northern Lights operations, we enter a new phase for the carbon storage industry in Europe,” affirmed Arnaud Le Foll, Vice President of Carbon Neutrality Business in Totalenergies. And now what. Although it is of course a true turning point, the doubt remains in the air about whether the model will scaling enough to contribute in a real way to the climatic objectives that are proposed by Europe. Norway opens the way, but the key will be especially in how much business, and how much reduction of emissions, these reservoirs can generate in the coming years. Cover image | Equinor In Xataka | The Era of Petroestados is ending: China is the first “electrostate” of the world and not because of its climatic moral

Someone cut five submarine cables in the Baltic. Finland already points as responsible for a ship of the “shade fleet”

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In the middle of Christmas, five submarine cables that connect Finland and Estonia were damaged. According to the Finnish Prosecutor’s Officeit was a deliberate act: an oil tanker dragged its anchor for about 90 kilometers and cut the electric interconnection Estlink 2 and four telecommunications cables. More than seven months later, on August 11, 2025, The Prosecutor’s Office presented positions For aggravated damage and aggravated interference in communications against the captain and two officers of the Eagle S ship, a ship linked to the call “shadow”That the European authorities associate with the elusion of restrictions on Russian crude. On the night of December 25, 2024, the Estlink 2 link stopped operating suddenly and, shortly after, failures were detected in four data cables that cross the same section of the Gulf of Finland. The service did not collapse thanks to alternative routes, but the technical impact was immediate and the authorities opened an investigation focused on the trajectory of a ship that sailed near the affected area. 90 kilometers groove at the bottom of the Baltic. The damage pattern was unequivocal: a prolonged groove in the seabed that coincided with the passage of the Eagle S. The researchers point out that The trajectory of the ship registered in the navigation data flashes with the damaged areas. Police recovered an anchor whose location coincided with the Eagle S route and with the detected groove, information between the evidence that motivated the accusation against the three officers. A cable that transports 650 megawatts under the sea. Estlink 2 is a high voltage electrical interconnection in direct current that joins Finland and Estonia for the seabed. He entered into market operation in December 2013 and was inaugurated in 2014; Its capacity reaches 650 megawatts and its function is to balance the electrical demand between the two countries. After the cut, Fingrid and Elering activated contingencies to maintain stability, and the link returned to the market at 01:00 of June 20, 2025 after repairs. In addition to the power grid, Four telecommunications cables were damagedaffecting part of data traffic between Finland and Estonia. Among the impacted operators are Elisa, Cinia – of public majority ownership – and a cable managed by CITIC. The repair work began days later and extended several weeks; According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the owners have assumed at least 60 million euros in direct repair costs, without relevant impacts on end users thanks to the alternative routed. An old acquaintance under magnifying glass. He Eagle s It is an oil company registered in the Cook Islands that sailed from the Russian port of UST-Luga with oil products and was detected in the vicinity of the affected area. Several media place their property in Caravella Llc Fzbased in United Arab Emirates. The ship appears in the so -called “Shadow Flot”, formed by boats with opaque structures that have continued to operate despite the restrictions. The European Union included Eagle S on its list of ships sanctioned on May 20, 2025. Can Finland judge it? The debate on jurisdiction. The defense claims that the cuts occurred outside the Finnish territorial waters. Because of this, Reuters pointsthe country would not have competence to prosecute the crew. The Prosecutor’s Office appeals to the territorial effect: the consequences occurred in Finland, in the electricity and communications, and that would justify the criminal action. Helsinki’s court now has the task to decide on competition and, where appropriate, set procedural deadlines. The result of the judicial decision will mark the next chapter of the case. If the Court accepts Finnish competition, the process against Eagle S officers will be a milestone in the European response to attacks against critical infrastructure. Images | HTM (Wikimedia Commons) In Xataka | The USA opened the way and China took note: it is updating its fleet with ships that have electromagnetic catapults

Ukraine has stolen the confidential information of the last nuclear submarine of Russia. And then he has published all his failures

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Two news in just a few days offered a summary of the importance of Nuclear deterrence of Russia and its need to update it. On the one hand, Moscow advertisement which will cease to respect the limitations of the treaty of nuclear forces of intermediate scope. On the other, The New York Times confirmed through satellite images that its nuclear submarine base had is damaged After an earthquake. Now Ukraine has just added another asterisk. The end to the treaty. The first news occurred two days ago. Moscow advertisement which will set aside the limitations of the treaty of nuclear forces of intermediate scope (Inf), signed in 1987 to eliminate land missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers and considered a milestone of the cold war. Although the pact was already broken after the United States withdrawal In 2019, Moscow maintained a unilateral moratorium that is now terminated, claiming that Washington plans to display missiles of this type in Europe and Asia. The decision also coincides with the entry into service of the Missile Orshnikcapable of carrying nuclear eyes and unfold in Belaruswhich increases fear in the West to a new arms race in which European capitals would be minutes from a Russian attack. While Medvedev launches direct warningsKremlin seeks to clarify the tone, although the definitive breakdown of the INF confirms the setback of nuclear control mechanisms and raises strategic tensions in Europe and Asia. The “touched” nuclear base. We count the fear And finally it has been confirmed. The earthquake that made the Russian nation tremble caused damage to the strategic base of Nuclear Submarines of Rybachiy, in the Kamchatka Peninsula, according to planet labs satellite images cited By The New York Times. The photos show that a section of a floating dock He got rid of of its anchor, although there are no major damage to the facilities. The Rybachiy base, vital for the Russian nuclear fleet in the Pacific, thus maintains its operation despite the damage located in its infrastructure. Before and after earthquakes in nuclear infrastructure Filtration. A few hours ago, Ukrainian military intelligence (Hur) has announced obtaining internal documents classified from the K-55 Knyaz Pozharskythe most more modern Russian nuclear nuclear submarine in the Borei-A classessential piece of the Kremlin nuclear triad. This ship, officially incorporated to the northern fleet On July 24, 2025 at a ceremony chaired by Putin, he is armed with 16 intercontinental missiles R-30 Bulava-30each capable of carrying up to ten nuclear eyelets. According to kyivthe material obtained includes complete lists of the crew with details of functions, physical preparation and qualifications, combat manuals, schemes of survival systems, organizational structure, internal regulations for life on board, protocols for evacuation and transfer of injuries, as well as Technical documents on failed communication equipment and engineering records. It would even have secured an excerpt from the daily service book, which regulates routine tasks and submarine combat operations. Part of the classified documents filtered The failures. The most surprising thing about the case is that Filtration now published represents a significant coup for the operational security Russian, as it offers Ukraine and its allies critical information on technical vulnerabilities not only of Knyaz Pozharskybut of the entire series of borei-a submarines, considered the more modern nucleus of Moscow nuclear deterrence. These data, according to The intelligence of Ukrainethey will allow identify From design limitations to safety protocols and resistance capabilities, eroding, in addition, the perception of invulnerability that Russia tries to project with its strategic fleet. Hur itself He stressed That this intelligence dismantles the “imperial myth” on the strength of the Russian nuclear arsenal, by exposing the fragilities of systems that Kremlin presents as unwavering. Part of the classified documents filtered The naval context in the war. Plus: the revelation arrives at a time when the Russian navy has suffered a palpable deterioration of its prestige and effectiveness, especially In the Black Seawhere the fleet has lost several key ships at the hands of Ukrainian naval drones and Western missiles. He sinking of the landing ship Caesar Kunikov, of the Patrol Sergei Kotov and of the Ivanovets Corvetteamong others, has weakened an instrument that until 2022 was perceived as dominant in the region. The NATO careMeanwhile, it moves towards the Arctic and North Atlanticwhere Russian underwater activities are closely monitored and have motivated the display of new forces Maritime Allied. In this context, know the specifications and vulnerabilities of the Borei-A class, which constitutes the strategic arm of the northern fleet in Gadzhievo, results from An incalculable value to calibrate nuclear balance and reinforce allied deterrence. The information in the modern war. If you want also, the Hur operation It is more than a espionage success: it symbolizes how, in the war of the 21st century, information can have both power as a precision missile. Ukraine, confronted with an adversary with palpable material, converts intelligence into An asymmetric weapon able to undress the vulnerability of the jewel of the Russian strategic fleet. On the other sidewalk, the lesson for Moscow seems clear: not even its nuclear submarines, designed to guarantee the survival of the State in case of total war, are immune, not only Natural disastersbut to Information War. Image | Ukrainian intelligencePlanet Labs In Xataka | It is not that Russia does not find the F-16 of Ukraine, is that kyiv has discovered the perfect hiding place for the future of wars In Xataka | A new challenge has arrived to Ukraine: it measures 4 meters, it has 75 kilos of explosives and uses AI to hit Russia

The US every day trusts less than China. Now plan to prohibit the use of submarine cables of Chinese origin

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The distrust held by the US and China is absolute. And probably both countries have solid reasons not to trust the other. After all, they are struggling to get world supremacy. The last sample of distrust has been put on the table the nation led by Donald Trump. And is that the Federal Communications Commission, known in English as FCC (Federal Communications Commission), wants to ban submarine cables of Chinese origin used to connect USA with the rest of the planet. This American institution is responsible for regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, telephone, satellite and cable, so it has power to execute a prohibition like this. In fact, Brendan Car, the president of the FCC, holds in a statement That his intention with this measure is to defend the integrity of the US Internet connection infrastructure in the face of the security threat that China represents. This initiative is also supported by the Plan “America First” that the Trump administration officially launched in February this year. In the current context, submarine cables are more important than ever “Submarine cables are the anonymous heroes of global communications. In fact, they transport 99% of Internet traffic,” Brendan Carr assures in its statement. “As the US builds the data centers and the infrastructure necessary to lead the world in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and next -generation technologies These cables are more important than ever. “Although it does not express it clearly, Carr’s statement contains a very important message that we cannot overlook. “We have witnessed how submarine cable infrastructure has been threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, such as China” What the FCC fears is that China, which is climbing at full speed in the manufacturing industry of submarine cables, uses its technologies to spy on the US. Currently the companies that lead the production of these cables reside in France, Italy, USA and Japan, but HENGTong Group, Zhongtian Submarine Cable, Orient Cable and Dosese cable, All of them Chinese companiesThey are increasing their competitiveness and market share. Car proposes to adopt a double approach. On the one hand, it aims to encourage the use of US repair and maintenance of submarine cables, as well as completely reliable technologies from foreign countries. And, on the other hand, it aspires to discourage the use of Chinese technology in global infrastructure by imposing additional restrictions on its use in any underwater cable that connects to the US. “We have witnessed how submarine cable infrastructure has been threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, such as China,” Brendan Carr in its statement. This is not at all the first time that the US launches an initiative to prohibit the use of Chinese technology in its communications infrastructure. In fact, in 2019 the Donald Trump government prohibited using telecommunications equipment manufactured by Chinese companies ZTE and HUAWEI. This was one of the most important chapters of the conflict held by the US and China for almost a decade. More information | Tom’s hardware In Xataka | 2025 has started with another cut cable cut. The problem is where and the suspect: in Taiwan and China

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