Windward reportedly tracked three sanctioned tankers linked to Iran and one Iranian fishing boat near subsea cable routes in the Gulf of Oman and around the Strait of Hormuz in October 2026, Ars Technica reported on November 6. Windward assessed that some movement patterns could fit cable-route mapping or the placement of charges or mines.
What was reported near Hormuz
Windward used ship-tracking data and satellite imagery, according to Ars Technica. Some vessels reportedly switched off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders. AIS broadcasts a ship’s identity and location; the reported tracking included activity near cable routes, not necessarily directly above a cable in every case.
What land routes can provide
Terrestrial routes offer some Gulf countries an alternative to subsea cables. TeleGeography’s March 2026 analysis identifies land connections to Saudi Arabia for Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, plus a Kuwait-Iraq connection. It says none of the Gulf countries it discusses relies entirely on subsea cables for international connectivity. But terrestrial capacity may not be enough to reroute all traffic if subsea systems are damaged, and land networks can also be affected by conflict. TeleGeography’s analysis of cable infrastructure and connectivity around Hormuz details those routes and limits.
Land routes provide a fallback, but their capacity may not replace all the traffic carried by subsea cables.
For a separate regional example, NeoTeo’s earlier report on trans-Pacific cable risks covers vulnerability assessments and vessel activity around routes in the Pacific.
Why cable repairs can take time
Repair vessels need permits to enter affected waters and must stay stationary while working on a fault, conditions that can leave them exposed in hostile waters, TeleGeography says. Its March 2026 analysis placed one of e-Marine’s five maintenance vessels inside the Gulf at that time.
