UAE nabbed a pair of ships suspected for undersea cable cutting

Turns out the United Arab Emirates took two ships into custody on February 19th after those infamous cable cuttings. Wayward anchors are suspected to be at fault, and the Korean company responsible for one of the vessels just agreed to fork over 60 grand in damages in exchange for the release of its ship. The other ship, which is owned by an Iraqi company, is still under Dubai custody, and the two sailors on board were arrested and are awaiting prosecution next week. As for us, we're standing by our space aliens in league with garden gnomes theory. It all just adds up.

[Thanks, Mike]

[Puneet @ Apr 14th 2008 11:34AM]

garden gnomes lol

[Puneet @ Apr 14th 2008 11:37AM]

testing password..

[Jake @ Apr 14th 2008 9:01PM]

you are an idiot. it literally makes me mad to see that.

[Raheem @ Apr 14th 2008 11:37AM]

Space aliens would never work with Garden Gnomes. Not since Crop-Circlegate and Lawn-Contra.

[Weeze-dog @ Apr 14th 2008 11:48AM]

That's awesome: "For fear of security, we won't disclose the location of the undersea cables so you can avoid them, but when you cut one accidentally, we'll be sure to charge you $60,000 in fines..."

[Mikey @ Apr 14th 2008 11:57AM]

You can still get a ticket even if you don't intend to speed.

Besides, compared to the trouble it caused, I don't think $60,000 is really that much.

[John @ Apr 14th 2008 12:10PM]

well considering the absolute vastness of the ocean, i'd imagine the probability of striking an underwater cable while dropping your anchor to be virtually 0. The only way they could have hit it would be to drop their anchor, and drag it along the bottom until it hits something, which sounds pretty dumb to me. they ought to be fined much more considering how much damage they caused.

[Weeze-dog @ Apr 14th 2008 12:19PM]

@Mikey

To use your speeding analogy, this would be like not posting the speed limit, then giving tickets to anyone who exceeded the limit that only you know about.

I'm sure if you got a ticket for speeding in an area with no posted speed limit, you would fight that in court.

[Mikey @ Apr 14th 2008 12:51PM]

Your right, my analogy is flawed. I originally meant to demonstrate the differences in intent (Malum prohibitum vs Malum in se).

[BigD145 @ Apr 14th 2008 1:11PM]

It's called a "speed trap." They do exist. Most people don't bother fighting the ticket unless they live in the area. The same has happened in this story.

[Hippy @ Apr 14th 2008 1:59PM]

That concept sounds just like dealing with my wife. The "rules" are easy to break, without warning, they're never made public, the cost of breaking them is high and there's no right of appeal.

Of course, it's harder to get a divorce from your anchor

[linuxamp @ Apr 14th 2008 11:49AM]

That picture is absolutely perfect for this story! Well it's not a fat optical backbone trunk but still perfect.

[OneLove @ Apr 14th 2008 12:31PM]

I have a fat optical backbone trunk in my pants...

[Michael @ Apr 14th 2008 2:21PM]

Evil Robot!!

[Steffen Jobbs @ Apr 14th 2008 11:50AM]

I thought that multiple cables had been severed. What were these ships doing just traveling around with their anchors down? Are they saying that this destruction just happened accidentally?

[Special_K @ Apr 14th 2008 12:14PM]

Yep, that's exactly what they're saying. The chances of this happening are actually rather high, at least compared to what you'd expect: with 50-odd cables snapped a year by dragging anchors, it wasn't long before two proximate ones got snapped within a short time period. I suggest this article from The Economist in order to dispel any conspiracy theories that may be percolating in your tinfoil hat-covered head:

http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10653963

[emailtabs @ Apr 14th 2008 12:29PM]

Its not tinfoil you buffoon!. The latest and greatest in electromagnetic dispersal systems is the armadillo structured extra-cranial hydrophobic support system, i thought everyone knew that! duh!.

[Darkest Daze @ Apr 14th 2008 2:51PM]

Two? Ok, I'll bite that one. But didn't 5 get snapped in total?

[Saad Rabia @ Apr 14th 2008 11:57AM]

I live in the UAE. ^_^

Please don't vote me down.

[steven350 @ Apr 14th 2008 12:08PM]

Sorry, but your people broke the internet....

[emailtabs @ Apr 14th 2008 12:38PM]

Stephen, stephen, stephen, Don't be mean!.

Many others use their seaways!.

I blame the french!.

[ben @ Apr 14th 2008 3:00PM]

al qaeda would never stoop so low as to work with the MPAA

[thedesolate1 @ Apr 14th 2008 12:27PM]

It was the MPAA in league with Al Qaeda!

[Magallanes @ Apr 14th 2008 1:18PM]

Al Qaeda is evil but not so evil.

[CraigJ @ Apr 14th 2008 12:29PM]

I thought Ryan was responsible?
http://twitter.com/ryanblock/statuses/684237632

[Jack Storm @ Apr 14th 2008 12:47PM]

Someone charge him $60,000!

[IndiaTech @ Apr 14th 2008 1:01PM]

Ryan is like the Whitemore dude from LOST. Even though he is not on the ship he has been masterminding it all along...

[Blaktornado @ Apr 14th 2008 12:33PM]

The Cable Guy was a very bizarre film... Jim Carrey is still a God, though.

[Josh L @ Apr 14th 2008 1:03PM]

I see what you did there.

[Blaktornado @ Apr 14th 2008 1:09PM]

You did!?

Damn you!

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 14th 2008 2:35PM]

Umm... what did he do?

'Cos I sure as hell can't see it.

[Blaktornado @ Apr 14th 2008 3:10PM]

Well judging on my comment being low ranked, I am assuming that either people don't like Jim Carrey (any more?) or that they thought the Cable Guy was a very normal film with virtually no surreality in it at all.

I don't know.

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 14th 2008 3:39PM]

I for one truly like Jim Carrey.

Let's see if I get low ranked.

[Timerider @ Apr 14th 2008 5:23PM]

I like Jim Carrey. More Ace Ventura!

[CraigJ @ Apr 14th 2008 6:47PM]

@Esat

Maybe I'm missing it, but I'm thinking Bruce Almighty...

[Narino @ Apr 14th 2008 1:07PM]

Uh wait, how about those other 4 or 5 cables ? :/

[John Stracke @ Apr 14th 2008 1:11PM]

"As for us, we're standing by our space aliens in league with garden gnomes theory. It all just adds up."—to *what*?

[jeffhtg @ Apr 14th 2008 1:17PM]

how do they know where it was cut?

[kal326 @ Apr 14th 2008 1:53PM]

I don't think the garden gnomes had anything to do with it, they don't swim very well. Now aliens and crab people, there you have something.

[Billyearljr @ Apr 14th 2008 3:12PM]

Lawn Gnomes!!! It was definitely the Gnomes!

http://www.lawngnomemafia.com

[Timerider @ Apr 14th 2008 5:21PM]

So....They think it was Jim Carrey?

[Nelson @ Apr 14th 2008 11:02PM]

One word: Weapons of mass destruction!