[Infowarrior] - Update on Internet Cable Cut incident

[Richard Forno]

UAE releases one of the ships impounded for cable damage
12 Apr, 2008, 1740 hrs IST, PTI

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Internet_/UAE_releases_one_of_t
he_ships_impounded_for_cable_damage/articleshow/2947325.cms


DUBAI: The UAE authorities have released one of the two ships allegedly
responsible for causing damage to an undersea cable network of Flag Telecom
that had resulted in disruption of Internet services across India for two
weeks.

The ship was released after a Korean shipping company, which owns it, paid
huge compensation to Flag Telecom, a subsidiary of Reliance Globalcom, as
damage, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The two ships -- MV Hounslow and MT Ann -- were impounded on February 19
when they reached Dubai shores for allegedly damaging the cable network in
February.

The action was taken after Reliance Globalcom provided details of the ships
by studying the satellite images of the ship movements around the area of
undersea cable damage off the northern coast of Egypt and the UAE.

Abdul Jaleel Mahdi, Deputy Director of CID of Dubai Police, told the daily
that one of the impounded ships, belonging to a Korean shipping company, was
released after payment of huge compensation to Flag Telecom.

During police interrogation, an official of the Korean ship admitted that
the vessel was passing through the area and agreed to pay USD 60,000 as
damages, the report said.

The second ship, which belongs to an Iraqi company, is still in the custody
of Dubai Police and the Coast Guards, a police source was quoted as saying
by the daily.

The two sailors who were on board the vessel were arrested and would be
referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution next week, it said.