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A French team of engineers on board the cable repair ship Raymond Croze have begun to repair the underwater cables that were severed late last week in the Mediterranean.  The incident is causing major internet and communication problems for the Middle East and much of India. It is now believed that the lines were cut by European fishermen who were trawling nets off the coast of Sicily.

The cables – Sea Me We 4 (SMW 4), Sea Me We 3 (SMW 3) and FLAG EA – run under the sea between Egypt and Italy and carry 90% of all data between Europe and the Middle East.

Rajesh Chharia, president, Internet Service Providers Association of India, says, “The cables are expected to be down till the end of the month. One of the two maintenance boats in the Mediterranean, the Raymond Croze, a France Telecom marine cable ship, will reach the location on December 21.”

According to a France Telecom report, while Maldives is 100% down, there has been an 82% disruption in India. Among other countries affected are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar and Zambia.

The Times of India

Cable Repair Ship: CS Raymond Croz

Over the past year and a half gCaptain has reported on a number of stories about undersea cables. Click here for the Tag Page

Now here is a map of all undersea cables provided by tatacommunications.com

Headlines

Mail Online: Robot sent to seabed to repair broken cables after internet is knocked out in Middle East

BBC News: Repairs begin on undersea cable

cellular-news.com: Repair Ship to Start Work on Severed Undersea Cables Next Week

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