MSC containership severs Somalian internet

The now-detained MSC Alice reportedly severed a fiber optic cable that supplies Somalia’s internet late last month and government authorities have yet to bring the country back online, according to multiple news sources.    The MSC Alice, a 1,730-TEU containership, has been detained in Somalia after reportedly severing a fiber optic line that supplies the country’s internet, taking most of the country offline, according to multiple news sources.
   The vessel has been accused of dragging its anchor through a fiber optic line outside of Mogadishu late last month, according to a report from TradeWinds.
   “MSC confirms that the containership MSC Alice has been at anchorage at an approved location outside the port of Mogadishu since 24 June. Following reports that an underwater cable was damaged, MSC is investigating the incident with other relevant parties,” MSC said in a statement, according to TradeWinds.
   The East African country has been without internet since then, and government authorities are hoping to have the problem solved this week, though no firm timeline has been announced.
   According to a report from the BBC, Somalia’s attorney general, Ahmed Ali Dahir, was holding the vessel in Somali waters and demanding compensation for the damages.
   “Whoever was involved in this incident will be tried and the company that belongs to the ship that was involved in cutting the undersea cable is required to pay for the loss,” said Ali Dahir, who claims the outage is causing nation-wide losses of $10 million a day. 
   According to Maritime Executive, international wire transfers have been cut off as a result of the outage, with rural areas being hit the hardest. An NGO relief effort, which as been aiding rural Somalians through the country’s severe drought and famine, has suffered from the lack of internet connection.
   Several news outlets have reported that the MSC Alice has been released and sent to the beaches for scrapping, but, this claim has yet to be validated and the vessel’s location is currently unconfirmed.