Image for representation purposes only Australia’s Federal Police is assessing a report of crime after two subsea communication cables developed faults close to each other and one after another off Perth. The cables are owned by Subco. Its founder and chief executive, Bevan Slattery, said the Indigo-West and Indigo-Central cables suffered “shunt faults” inside the Submarine Cable Protection Zone off Perth. Slattery also said a vessel was operating near the location around the time the faults occurred. He described the activity as “suspicious/coincidental” but did not say the vessel had caused the damage. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed it had received a report of crime and is currently assessing the information. Authorities have not confirmed that the cables were deliberately damaged. What happened to the cables? Slattery said the two cables developed faults “straight after each other and in close proximity to each other”. The Indigo-West cable connects Perth with Indonesia and Singapore. The Indigo-Central cable connects Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales. Both cables are located within the Submarine Cable Protection Zone off Perth. The protected area extends 60 nautical miles from City Beach, reaches a depth of 2,000 metres and covers one nautical mile on either side of the cables. Slattery called the incident concerning and asked the AFP to investigate it urgently. He said it could become the second incident involving possible sabotage inside a federally declared cable protection zone if deliberate damage is eventually confirmed. There is currently no official confirmation of sabotage. What is a shunt fault? A shunt fault happens when the insulation around a cable conductor is damaged. This can allow unwanted contact with another conductor or the ground, effectively creating a short circuit. A shunt fault does not by itself show what caused the damage. Undersea communication cables sit on the seabed and