Severed China-US Undersea Cable Case Heard in Guangzhou

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, June 21, 2002

Severed China-US Undersea Cable Case Heard in Guangzhou

The severed China-US undersea cable case was tried by Guangzhou Maritime Court lately. The plaintiff China Telecom asked the defendant Shanghai Xinhaitian Shipping Company for 40 million yuan of compensation.

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Guangzhou Maritime Court in south China's Guangdong Province is now hearing a lawsuit filed by China Telecom, once the biggest Chinese telecommunication operator, against Shanghai Xinhaitian Shipping Company for its alleged role in severing the plaintiff's undersea cables.

The cables connecting China with North America broke on September 20 last year, largely cutting off the Internet links between the two sides, for which, China Telecom said, the shipping firm is responsible, asking therefore a 40 million yuan (US$4.84 million) compensation.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiff said that one of the firm's ship named "Andahai" broke the cables while trying to maneuver an anchoring.

An improper choice of the anchoring point and the ensuing anchor shift hooked out the cables and severed them, the plaintiff said.

After the cable was broken, China Telecom invested a lot for the repairing, but despite which the cables' service life still get shortened and the telecom provider's services badly affected.

The ship company argued that China Telecom did not have exact evidence to prove that the incident was caused by the ship, adding that it was China Telecom's mistake that led to the breaking.

According to the Court, the case has three key points: First, whether "Andahai" ship is the trouble- maker; Second, did China Telecom make any mistake in the incident? And third, how to ascertain that the telecom provider's loss is the claimed 40 million yuan?

China Telecom said that the incident had resulted in the severance of three pairs of the cable, it was not restored until this June, and it had affected the provider's service quality and cable's life expectancy.

Furthermore, the cable is 1500 meters under sea, restoration is hard and loss is heavy, according to China Telecom.

By PD Online Staff Li Yan

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