Piracy and Undersea Cables: An Overlooked Interpretation of UNCLOS?

Recent events in the Baltic Sea and other places have highlighted the importance of undersea cables and pipelines for the global economy, and indeed our daily life. Fibre optic cables are the arteries of the modern world, transmitting over 99% of intercontinental data. While electricity and gas pipelines have less global significance, they remain crucial to regional and local economies. This blog argues that attacks on subsea cables and pipelines could qualify as acts of piracy, allowing all states to board, search, and seize vessels engaged in or suspected of such attacks, as well as apprehend and prosecute those responsible.