Using high-resolution acoustic images to reconstruct the evolution of an underwater cable breakage accident initiated by unsecure ship anchorage
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Accidents of undersea cable breakage caused by unsecure anchorage occur from time to time, and reconstructing the time course elucidates the causes and provides valuable information for avoiding similar accidents in the future by developing response strategies when accidents occur. High-resolution acoustic images of the seafloor in the accident area provided detailed geomorphic and man-made resurfacing features of the seafloor, thus providing evidence and clues for accurately reconstructing the accident process. On October 4, 2022, a submerged cable severed when an anchor line to a cargo ship that had been sheltered from the wind dragged across the submerged cable in the central Bohai Sea in China. Twenty-five days after the accident, we used remote ultrasound sensing equipment for acoustic underwater scanning of the incident area. Based on the processed high-resolution acoustic images, we reconstructed the time evolution of the accident by analyzing the detailed features of the ship's anchor traces. We took into account visualized evidence from undersea mounds and depressions from cables in the seabed and conducted physical analyses of anchor and chain tracks, as well as the abandoned anchor. The results indicate that continuing to cut the anchor chain after the cable breaks is not effective. Instead, an attempt should be made to retract the anchor. If successful, some of the economic loss will be averted.
Source: Ocean Engineering
Authors: Fangqi Wang, Yikai Feng, Senbo Liu, Dongxu Zhou
Language: English
Subfield: Ocean Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,150
Awards: G1106640824, G2659085519
OpenAlex ID: W4410518008