underwater

China is developing an underwater space station more than 2,000 meters deep

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In 1971, the former Russian Soviet Union launched its first space station, Slayut 1which was 175 days in orbit. From then on, the career in the space sector has grown tirelessly. In contrast we have the oceanic fund that around 80% is without mapping or exploring, According to the Oceanic and Atmospheric National Administration (NOA). In addition, in different studies with monitors, key minerals have been found for current technology and China He has got to work. Short. China has started the construction of an underwater laboratory at 2,000 meters deep in the Meriodional China Sea. The project developed in the deep waters of Guangzhou has been described as an “underwater space station”, where six scientists will be for more than a month to study the marine ecosystem, According to Chinadily. The underwater base. As have explained in the same mediumResearchers will aim to study cold leak ecosystems, a natural phenomenon that contains high amounts of methane hydrate. This gas is considered a less polluting alternative to traditional fossil fuels, but its extraction to great depths is a complex risk. On the other hand, the laboratory will also seek to explore minerals such as cobalt, nickel and rare earths, important elements for the technological and energy industry. Dangerous extraction. The deposits in the seabed, especially those at extreme depths, can cause irreparable damage to marine ecosystems. In fact, the international authority of the seabed has not established a regulation that determines how to carry out the activity, although studies are still being carried out. Currently, ISA He is holding meetings For the regulation of seabed extraction, while environmental organizations They are claiming a protection of oceans above commercial interests. Is there a place for everyone? The research center will be open to international collaborations and is aligned with the United Nations decade for the restoration of ecosystems, According to Global Times. However, this initiative will intensify disputes in the South China Sea. All this is because the Asian giant has claimed sovereignty over a large part of the area, which has led to tensions with neighboring countries that also wish to exploit their resources. Besides, According to El Confidencialcritics of the Chinese government have alerted the risk of this underwater base that could serve as justification for an increase in Chinese military presence. The submarine laboratory. According to El Confidencialthe station will be connected to a fiber optic network in the seabed and will support pressures 200 times higher than the sea level. Scientists will spend between a month and 45 days underwater, without natural light. In addition, the base will feature advanced submersibles, surface ships and equipment to perform four -dimensional monitoring of the region. In addition, the initial phase will focus on the construction of pressure resistant structures and simulation systems. Surpassing AI and autonomous vehicles. The station, as have detailed in SCMPIt will allow scientists to perform real -time experiments under extreme conditions, which is currently not possible to arrive with artificial intelligence or autonomous vehicles. As has explained for Global Times The project director, Chaolun Li, the initiative will contribute to the ecological and experimental monitoring in situ, advancing human knowledge in these extreme environments. Image | Proteus Ocean Group Xataka | Chinese submarines are authentic crickets: a new generation promises to change the rules of the game

Give a stretch to its underwater borders west of Galicia

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Spain is about to give A considerable stretch north. One, yes, that will only be appreciated under water or in the offices. After Years of workmeetings and oceanographic campaigns, Spain is about to ensure that its underwater borders west of Galicia are extended by 38,500 square kilometers, an extension that will be added to The already achieved A long time ago in the Cantabrian. This has just ratified the UN at a meeting with Spanish delegates. For the final seen we will still have to wait a few months. Maybe bureaucracy sounds, but extending underwater limits beyond 200 nautical miles (just over 300 km) is much more interesting than it seems. What happened? That Galicia prepares to give A small stretch. And with it the whole country. Of course, the border extension will not be visible, nor will Spain redraw the silhouette we usually see in the maps. The reason is simple. What will really be expanded is the continental platform, the underwater border located west of Galicia. There is still the final OK for change, which is expected for August, but for the moment the United Nations already It has ratified it. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Who has announced it? The news was advanced on the weekend Vigo lighthousewhich has echoed in turn of the information that He has been publishing In networks the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME) and Luis Somozainvestigator of the institution and scientific coordinator of the expansion of the continental platform of Galicia. The reason? The Redibration of the underwater borders of Galicia It was these days In New York, where a Spanish delegation was transferred. There the UN It has ratified The expansion of the continental platform north of the Bank of Galicia. Of course, the newspaper specifies that the final approval will not arrive for a few months, in August. And how much will it be expanded? A good pinch, as Luis Somoza himself recognized Thursday after the meeting held in New York. “We have secured an extension of 38,000 km2 beyond 200 miles,” revealed in x. To better learn the geology of that huge plain, which exceeds 5,000 m deep, at the end of May a new scientific campaign will be undertaken with the Sarmiento de Gamboa ship. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Is it something new? The advances do. The background struggle to widen underwater borders no. In August 2006 Spain He already presented A proposal to expand the domain of the continental platform in the Cantabrian, an aspiration that achieved a key advance in March 2009, when the New York commission gave the green light to the extension of the legal title of Spain of some some 78,000 km2 in the area. In the case of Galicia, in 2009 Spain looked at the outer limits of the continental platform beyond 200 marine miles. On the surface, that would mean adding about 50,000 km2 under Spanish sovereignty. Apart from Galicia and Cantabria, Spain was interested in a third point: the Canary Islands, more specifically an extension of 206,000 km2 to the Oste of the Islands. If the three ambitioned regions (Cantabrian, Galicia and the Canary Islands are added) they would go from 330,000 km. And based on what? The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which includes the scientific criteria that allow the limits of the sovereignty of a country over the seabed to go beyond the 200 nautical miles. In 2010 Spain presented Before the UN precisely that, the scientific evidence that would endorse the aspirations of the underwater borders in Galicia. Spain is not the only one immersed in such a process. In 2010 The country I pointed That the attractiveness of the platforms, rich in gas and mineral deposits, among other resources, had aroused the interest of other tens of nations with coast. Specifically, he spoke of 51 countries that had moved to achieve their continental slopes. Why is it important? The area that is now in the focus, west of Galicia, has depths of between 800 and more than 5,000 my the objective of geologists is to achieve a more detailed cartography to know it better. The data will be presented at the UN with a view to the August appointment in which, As progress Lighthouseit is expected to put the final touch to more than a decade of work to expand underwater borders. The objective: “shield” its preservation and allow Spain to explore and exploit its resources. Images | Gregorio Puga Bailón (Flickr) In Xataka | Galician marshare have launched a ‘sos’ in the face of their great threat: the risk of collapse of the AruSo estuary

First it was a cut underwater cable. 24 hours later Taiwan has found a China Army in front of the island

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24 hours after the Taiwan authorities have stopped a ship manned by Chinese citizens under the suspicion of having cut a new cable Communications submarine, the island has encountered a surprising scene in front of its coasts: China has deployed an army and initiated real fire exercises. The tension intensifies. As explained by the island’s government, China carried out “shooting training” exercises In the waters near the southwest coast of Taiwan, in a maneuver that Taipei has described as “provocative and dangerous.” The exercises seem to be framed in a series of Chinese military maneuvers that, at least in the last three years, have included large -scale war drills. The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense reported that, shortly before 9 am, detected 32 Chinese military planes performing a joint exercise of preparation for combat along with 14 warships in the Taiwan Strait. The operation was carried out without prior notice and in an area Only 74 kilometers from the coastwhich represents a violation of international standards and a danger to navigation security and commercial flights in the region. Taiwan’s response. The Taiwanese government He condemned the maneuvers and displayed his own strength to monitor the situation. The cities of Kaohsiung and Pingtung, located in southwest Taiwan, host important naval and aerial bases, in addition to the largest port on the island, a key node in international maritime trade. According to Taipei, the recent Chinese military activity, including the one carried out in front of the coast of Australiashow that China is the biggest threat for the stability of the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region. For its part, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs avoided making direct comments on Taiwan’s complaints and just affirmed that the maneuvers were part of a scheduled shooting training. China reinforces its reunification speech. While the Chinese armed forces carried out these exercises, Wang Huning, the fourth leader in the hierarchy of the Communist Party, reiterated the official Beijing position on The “reunification” with Taiwan. During a meeting on issues related to the island, Wang stressed The need for China “Maintain the initiative and control over relations through the Taiwan Strait” and “advance without hesitation in the cause of the reunification of the homeland.” What did the neighbor say? Taiwan’s government responded by rejecting Beijing’s sovereignty statements and reaffirmed that only the Taiwanese people You can decide your future. To all this we must remember that President Lai Ching-Te, whom China considers a “separatist”, has reiterated his commitment to the defense of Taiwanese democracy. A day after cable cut. It We count yesterday. Frictions between Taiwan and China have not limited themselves to the military field. 24 hours before Chinese “simulation”, both parties exchanged accusations in relation to the Damage to an underwater cable of communications off the southwest coast of Taiwan. The Taiwanese authorities arrested a freighter with Chinese crew, the Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, on suspicion of being involved in the incident. China, meanwhile, accused Taiwan of Manipulate the situation and launch accusations without conclusive evidence. Not just that. Taiwan has revealed in the last hours that the Hong Tai 58 was already part of A list of 52 boats Linked to China that the island’s security agencies consider a potential threat to telecommunications infrastructure. Looking back, it is the fifth case around failures/cuts/Sabotage of submarine cables registered in the region so far this year. So much so, that the Taiwan government has established a parallel with similar incidents occurred in the Baltic Sea After the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What seems clear is that the situation in the area, far from appeasing, has climbed the confrontation in a few days. China continues reinforcing its military presence In the region, while Taiwan and its allies, particularly the United States, observe with concern the increase in these maneuvers and the hardening of the forced reunification discourse. The combination of military pressure, sabotage of critical infrastructure and that growing belligerent rhetoric by Beijing points to an intimidation and wear strategy, one that raises the risk of an open conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Image | Naval Surface In Xataka | Taiwan lives an unprecedented situation in three decades: there is an army of 53 planes and 90 Chinese ships in front of the island In Xataka | Taiwan has just stopped a ship after cutting an underwater cable. The problem is that there are only Chinese citizens inside

Taiwan has just stopped a ship after cutting an underwater cable. The problem is that there are only Chinese citizens inside

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That the submarine cables, whether communications or energy, have become a first level actor in the geopolitics of the planet, is out of any doubt. The cases of cuts and Sabotajes that have occurred in recent months, together with The huge investments They are taking place among companies with AI in the equation, attest to it. However, if the cable cut occurs in a high voltage place such as Taiwan, the incident acquires another channel. The suspicion of sabotage. It is not the first time in the enclave, like We have counted beforebut it has happened again. The authorities of Taiwan have stopped a ship of load under the suspicion of having cut a communications cable Submarine that connects the main island with the Penghu archipelago, located about 30 kilometers west. Although the investigation is still ongoing, the event adds to a series of similar incidents that have generated restlessness on possible tactics of maritime sabotage by China and Russia. The problem: the ship is manned by Chinese citizens. The arrest. A Taiwanese coach detected That the vessel, a freighter in poor condition with multiple names and Chinese financing, was in the area when the cable rupture occurred. According to Ou Yu-FEI, spokesman for the Coast Guard, it was The only ship present In the area at that time, which reinforces the hypothesis of its involvement. In addition, they say that the ship could have used a false registration number and changed its name suddenly, a common pattern in covert activities. Context of a “possible.” As has told the New York Timesthe incident occurred around Tuesday at 3:24 am, shortly after a Taiwanese patrol ordered the freighter to leave the area because they were too close to the submarine cables with the anchor thrown. This detail has led the authorities to consider the possibility that the ship took advantage of its exit to perform a deliberate act of sabotage. Crucial cables. The cutting of submarine communications cables is always a serious accident, but in the case of Taiwan a little more. The reason? It depends on Great measure of these cables for its connectivity with its peripheral islands and with the rest of the world. While they can be damaged by natural causes such as earthquakes or aging of the material, the most common reason is the drag of ships of ships or fishing nets. In fact and as we remembered, recent patterns have led some analysts to speculate that China and Russia could be resorting to deliberate sabotage as a form of harassment in the sea. A trend. A summary of the growing number of similar cases could be made in recent times. In 2023a cable between Taiwan and the Matsu Islands was cut, affecting communications for weeks. TO beginnings of 2025a digital cable that connects Taiwan with South Korea, Japan, China and the United States suffered damage, indicated that a Chinese ship could have dragged its anchor over it. In November 2024two fiber optic cables in the Baltic Sea were cut, and the investigations pointed to a Chinese/Russian flag freighter. In response to this trend, the Taiwan government has intensified surveillance of its underwater infrastructure and has prepared a list of More than 50 suspicious shipsmany of them registered with convenience flags (such as the togolesa, used by the detainee ship). The answer. A few hours ago, China has accused Taiwan of politically manipulate the recent incident of the submarine cable. According to Beijing, the Taiwanese government has exaggerated the situation without conclusive evidence, with the aim of feeding tensions and obtaining political revenue. Zhu Fenglian, spokesman for the Chinese Government’s Taiwan Affairs Office, minimized the same, stating that damage to submarine cables They are common maritime accidents that occur more than a hundred times a year worldwide. In addition, he accused the Democratic Progressive Party (PPD), which governs Taiwan, to use the event to manipulate public opinion without their claims having real support. For its part, the Taiwanese government has rejected Beijing’s claims, insisting that there are clear indications of possible sabotage, especially since the ship with Chinese links was present in the area when it occurred. Geopolitical implications. If Taiwan’s suspicions are confirmed about intentional damage, the fact could climb the tensions between the island and China. As We have been countingBeijin considers Taiwan as part of its territory and has increased pressure on the island in recent years through military incursionseconomic pressure and cyber attacks. We will have to wait, since the case has been sent to prosecutors to deeper investigation. Meanwhile, the island continues reinforcing your measures security to avoid new interruptions in their underwater communications. In a context in which the control of digital networks and critical infrastructure has become a hybrid war tool, these incidents reinforce the perception that the “neighbor” could be exploring forms of indirect destabilization without reaching an open conflict . Image | 總統府Taiwan Coast Guard In Xataka | Taiwan does not want more problems with China or with its submarine cables. So you have activated an unpublished security plan In Xataka | Goal already has the tool to lead the AI ​​era: an underwater cable that will take more than one return to the earth

An underwater cable that will give more than one return to the earth

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Two current trends in geopolitics are the Rare earth and submarine cables. The first because China has the pan for the mango and are essential for the construction of today’s world. The second because that world cannot be understood without them and we are seeing that they are an element of pressure in A scenario like the Ukraine War. Submarine cables are the perfect example of globalization, the element that allows practically all countries Let’s be interconnected and that we can enjoy telephone lines, internet or streaming systems as we do today. Our oceans are full of these cables And it is companies such as goal or Google who are investing greatly in increasing their number due to the boom of both streaming and AI. Precisely a goal, which was already working to display a huge cable of more than 7,000 kilometers, has just announced one that will go around the world: A megacable that will interconnect more than 50,000 kilometers. Waterworth Project: New Generation Cables The Earth has a circumference of about 40,000 kilometers, this being a fact that helps us understand the magnitude of the infrastructure that plans to display Mark Zuckerberg’s company. In a releaseMeta has commented that this underwater cable is the most ambitious so far for its part (and by anyone, go) and that, when it has been completed, it will link the five main continents through more than 50,000 kilometers. The name of the project is Waterworth and the idea is join the two coasts of the United States with Brazil, South Africa, India and Australia. They have not talked about numbers, but it is a multimillion -dollar investment and will be carried out in several phases over the years. To get an idea, the Google cable to join Japan and the west coast of the United States It will cost about one billion dollars. The intention of the goal is to strengthen its position in the digital highway segment in order to boost their artificial intelligence. It is something that the company is very involved and, in this way, it will reinforce its presence in the sector. These submarine cables are composed of other cables, normally 8 or 16 fiber pairs, but there are also some with 24 pairs. Waterworth will be of this last class and will become the longest of 24 pairs. And it is not a plan on paper: they are already working on the path that will travel the cables, with the intention of protecting them as much as possible, since some sections will be 7,000 meters deep near high risk failures. Vital highways (such as the Ukraine War is demonstrating) Something they are also paying attention to is the cable covering. Meta has commented that they will use improper burial techniques in the shallow areas near the coast, where ships usually damage these systems, but are also looking to protect them in the face of “other dangers”. What other dangers? Well, we have recently seen in the Ukraine War, where Cuts have occurred in these cablessomething that has caused instability in some systems. Due to its importance, and the stage in which the cuts were given, at first it was believed that Russia and China were behindbut it seems that the explanation is another: dragged anchors that caused the cuts by error. Be that as it may, that at first it would be thought that the cable cut was part of a pressure measure in a war scenario, it reflects the importance when protecting this type of systems. In the end, as a goal states in its statement: they are essential now, but they will be even more in the era of the AI ​​we are entering. Images | Goal In Xataka | A third of the world’s population cannot read this: the UN reveals that 2.9 billion people have never accessed the Internet

Sweden has just found another damaged underwater cable in the Baltic. The fourth case already has a suspect

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Last week there were two news that gave an idea that everything that surrounds the cuts and damage of underwater cables in the Baltic is far from ending. After an investigation carried out in the United States, it was slid that the cases in recent months They were not due to a Russian sabotage, but to inexperience and the deterioration. Hours later, United Kingdom put the focus on Russia After detecting a ship in its waters for the second time. Sweden too. A Sweden-Leonia cable. Apparently, A new underwater data cable, now between Sweden and Latvia, was damaged yesterday Sundaymarking the fourth recent incident in the Baltic Sea, one that generates concern in NATO about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure. Latvia’s prime minister, Evika Siliņa, has described the damage as significant and probably “caused by an external force”which has led to the opening of a criminal investigation. As we have explained, previous incidents They have been linked to Russian and Chinese ships. Ongoing research and measures. The Financial Times had a few hours ago That the systemal authorities already have a suspect. In fact, they sent a patrol boat to inspect a vessel near the cable at the time of damage, while two other ships are also being monitored. Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, confirmed the damage to at least one cable and said that Sweden is collaborating closely with Latvia and NATO to clarify the incident. In response to these attacks on critical infrastructure, NATO has deployed drones, submarines, ships and airplanes in the region Under the “Baltic Sentry” operationan action that aims to detect and prevent possible sabotage attempts. As we also count, United Kingdom has deployed its p8 posidon fighters. Background and suspicions. The situation, by repetitive, leads to the affected nations that there is something else. The Recent incidents in the Baltic They have fueled suspicions about possible acts of sabotage by Russian and Chinese vessels. Finland recently seized An oil tanker of the so -called “Shadow Flot” by Russiacomposed of old ships registered in remote jurisdictions such as the Cook Islands, which evade international sanctions. Finland Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen declared that It is unlikely that the damage will be accidentalalthough he avoided pointing directly to Russia. Not just that. In previous incidents, a Chinese ship, the Newnew Polar Bear, damaged a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia by dragging your anchor, while Chinese load Yi Peng 3 crossed on two data cables In the same region in November. Subsequently, he remained a month in international waters between Denmark and Sweden, where he was approached by Chinese researchers, although access to Swedish inspectors was denied, generating criticism from Stockholm. Why are they so important. It We have underlined On more than one occasion, but now something else joins. This last incident occurs in a high voltage context, since Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are preparing to disconnect in February from the Soviet Electricity Inherited and join the European continental system, a key step for its total integration in the West. The three countries, NATO members and the EU, consider this transition as His last separation from Russian influencewhich has generated fears of possible sabotage attempts to hinder the process. In this regard, Lithuania Defense Minister Kęstutis Budry A review of navigation standards in the Balticespecially when it comes to the use of anchors, underlining the most obvious: that the high number of recent incidents reduces the possibility of accidents. Repairs and contingency measures. Unlike gas pipelines and power lines, whose repair can take months, Fiber optic cables damaged in the Baltic are usually restored in weeks. In fact, the State Radio and Television Center in Latvia has assured that it has already found alternative routes to maintain communications in operation. Be that as it may, the repetition of these incidents, The room in the Baltic in such a short timeposes a significant strategic challenge for the region, one that has intensified its cooperation with NATO to strengthen the protection of its critical infrastructure. In fact, the organization has made it clear that any new sabotage action will be faced with firmer measures to guarantee the protection of communications and energy supply in the region. Image | BORN In Xataka | United Kingdom will display the “Frankenstein” of the electronic war to protect its submarine cables: the P8 Poseidon In Xataka | A British nuclear submarine has discovered a Russian ship in front of its submarine cables. The second time in three months

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