The subsea cable cut at Svalbard January 2022: What happened, what were the consequences, and how were they managed?

Policy Brief
Screenshot 2023-01-18 at 14.27.16.png
Themes
Norden  Hav  Energi
Written by

Niels Nagelhus Schia

Seniorforsker, leder for Forskningsgruppen for sikkerhet og forsvar og leder for NUPIs forskningssenter for digitalisering og cybersikkerhet

 

Ida Rødningen

PRIO

Lars Gjesvik

Seniorforsker

 

Summary:

Svalbard is, like most other societies, largely dependent on an internet connection. The fiber connection on Svalbard consists of two separate subsea cables that connect Longyearbyen to the mainland. In some areas the cables were buried about two meters below the seabed, especially in areas where fishing is done, to “protect against destruction of the fishing fleet’s bottom trawling or anchoring of ships.

(New version uploaded 18 January 2023)