Guam – October 29, 2026 -- Windward data shows vessels linked to China and Russia loitering over subsea cable and pipeline corridors in five theaters. Activity ranges from the Guam cable hub to the Luzon Strait, Bab el-Mandeb and the gas pipelines feeding St Fergus, which supplies 25 to 50% of Britain's gas.
Chinese survey grids cover the Guam and Japan cable corridors
A Chinese-flagged fishery patrol vessel run by a state fishery research institute has worked research-pattern grids on both sides of Guam for seven weeks. Guam is the landing point for 11 subsea cables. The vessel ran a grid east of Guam between the Bulikula and SEA-US cables from August 31 to around September 20. A second grid west of Guam in the Philippine Sea was still running on September 29.
On September 13, the vessel met a Cook Islands-flagged tanker east of Guam for about six hours, likely to refuel. It has not operated like this in the region before, having worked around China and occasionally in the Indian Ocean. Its AIS stayed on throughout.
Separately, a Chinese research vessel owned by a state university has run a grid east of Japan since September 11. It made 27 low-speed stops over 18 days across an area crossed by the JUNO, Jupiter, FASTER, Topaz, Unity, PLCN, Pacific Crossing-1 and TGN-Pacific cables. This is its fourth trip to the area since May 2024, and each trip has lasted 18 to 24 days.
Chinese research vessel spoofs AIS 2,000 nm from its real position in the Bashi Channel
Another Chinese research vessel has held station in the Bashi Channel since September 22, about 38 nm northwest of Itbayat, Batanes, inside the Philippine EEZ. It left Xiamen on September 19. The Philippine Coast Guard says its AIS placed it off Papua New Guinea, more than 2,000 nm away, and that it ignored repeated radio challenges. Its AIS destination field reads "TOWING 1NM CABLE."
The loitering box sits over SEA-ME-WE 3, the China-US Cable Network, SJC, EAC-C2C, APCN-2 and the FLAG North Asia Loop. The same corridor carries the TPU Taiwan-Philippines-U.S. system, in service since May 2026, and the planned AUG East. Neither touches China.
Russia-linked bulker and zombie vessel hold over the Bab el-Mandeb cables off Djibouti
An Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier has loitered at the Gulf of Aden approach to Bab el-Mandeb since September 16. It sits above the India Europe Xpress, AAE-1 and SeaMeWe-5 cables and has made no port call, ship-to-ship transfer or cargo operation in more than eight days. It carries a Windward Russia-related compliance flag dating to January 2026. It was re-registered in July 2026 under a new name, manager and MMSI, its fourth MMSI and third name change since 2021.
A second vessel, using the identity of a St Kitts and Nevis-flagged container ship reported dead since 2020, appeared on AIS on July 24 leaving Hodeidah, the Houthi-held port in Yemen. It has spoofed its position in a tight box off Djibouti since August 14. Over those 41 days it has logged more than 20 AIS gaps, including a 40.5-hour dark period between September 8 and 10, and no port calls.
One cable in the area was cut in February 2024 when a drifting ship dragged its anchor across the southern Red Sea seabed. Cables are usually buried only down to 1,000 to 1,500 meters and lie exposed below that.
Sanctioned tankers run matching loiters over pipelines feeding St Fergus
Two crude tankers under UK and EU Russia sanctions loaded at Primorsk a day apart between September 16 and 18, and both declared Port Said as their destination. One is Chinese-owned. The other has been commercially controlled by a Russian state shipping company since July 12, 2026. They ran matching 40- and 45-hour loiters over the FLAGS and Alwyn-Frigg gas pipelines.
Further activity in the Baltic, North Atlantic and Gulf
Two Russian-flagged tugs, one towing a barge fitted with a seabed-capable excavator, have spent a month over the Kattegat and Skagerrak cable corridors. A Danish municipality activated its crisis group in response. A Russian trawler with a documented IUU record has worked just outside Canada's EEZ above five transatlantic cables since late August.
Saudi terminals in the Middle East Gulf loaded 3,911 kbpd of crude between September 1 and 27, more than four times the August figure. Only four of 55 tankers calling had AIS on. About 75 high-speed craft swarmed off Khasab on September 26, the largest swarm tracked since late June. Windward's visual link analysis also connected 45 Russia-trading shadow fleet tankers to a single untraceable Hong Kong nominee director.