Inside the undersea kingdom: the secret, sinister battle to control what lies beneath the waves

AI desk brief

The article argues that undersea cables and pipelines are a major geopolitical vulnerability, illustrated by the Eagle S incident in which a shadow-fleet tanker allegedly damaged multiple cables in the Baltic, nearly hitting key power, gas and internet links. It highlights how little protection exists for this infrastructure and how difficult it is to prove intent or enforce accountability in international waters.

The broader market implication is that sabotage risk around undersea chokepoints could become a recurring tail risk for Europe’s energy and communications networks, with knock-on effects for financial transactions and operational continuity. The piece also flags a growing strategic issue: big tech is building more of its own cables, creating new ownership and control concerns in a period of rising geopolitical tension.