GeoGarage blog

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

There’s an internet choke point in the Middle East — is the solution in the North Pole?

From The Verge by Joshua Dzieza

90% of Europe’s internet passes through the Red Sea.
An audacious cable plan in the Arctic could solve that.

The vast majority of the world’s data — emails, financial transactions, the internet — is carried by fiber optic cables that run along the ocean floor and converge at a few narrow choke points.
Periodically, policymakers will release reports noting that this arrangement seems risky, but these routes are the shortest, often in use since the telegraph era, and the system has managed remarkably well.
Cables break regularly, and traffic gets rerouted until a repair ship can come and fix the cut.
But the war in Iran, coming after several years of disruptions from conflict in Yemen, is spurring governments and companies to consider alternate routes, including one going across the North Pole.
The current problems began in 2024, when a Houthi missile struck a cargo ship in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait off the coast of Yemen, causing the vessel to drift for days and drag its anchor across three of the more than a dozen submarine cables crammed into the narrow Red Sea passage.
Cable repair is carried out by specialized ships that fish up the broken ends and splice them back together.
It’s delicate work that involves slowly dragging grapnels along the seafloor and floating very still for hours while fiber strands are spliced together, none of which can be safely done in a war zone.
Consequently, it took more than four months to broker the agreements necessary to bring in a ship.
Last September, another four cables were severed, likely by a commercial vessel dragging its anchor, again disrupting internet traffic in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Again, months of negotiations before a repair could be done.

“The Persian Gulf will never go back to what it was before”
The Red Sea cuts spurred companies and governments to look for alternate routes, and the Strait of Hormuz seemed promising.
Then the US and Israel attacked Iran, cable projects were halted, and now the world is looking elsewhere once again.
“When the Red Sea shut everything down, everyone swung over to the Persian Gulf, and now you can’t do that either,” said Roderick Beck, a cable industry veteran who sources telecom capacity for ISPs.
“The Persian Gulf will never go back to what it was before, when the Iranians wouldn’t dare assert control.”
The Gulf states, which have been aggressively building data centers in an attempt to shift their economies from oil to AI, are looking to avoid the Red Sea by going overland, building routes to Europe via Syria, Iraq, and Oman.
But the most ambitious proposal is in Europe, where the repeated cable cuts have the continent looking to the Arctic.
Earlier this year, a European Union panel on cable resilience recommended building two Arctic cables in order to find a route to Asia without traveling through the Red Sea, where 90% of Europe’s traffic currently passes.
One cable would go through Canada’s Northwest Passage.
The other would link Scandinavia to Asia by going straight across the North Pole.
The second of these routes is already in the early planning stages.
Called Polar Connect, it’s being led by Nordic academic-network operators, Sweden’s polar research agency, and the telecom firm GlobalConnect Carrier.
This year, the EU designated it a “Cable Project of European Interest” and has put approximately 9 million euros toward preparatory work.
(The EU report estimated the full cost would be approximately 2 billion.) A route survey is planned for this summer.
“It started before the unrest, but the geopolitical situation has resulted in an increased interest in finding alternate routes,” said Pär Jansson, Senior Vice President (Carrier) at GlobalConnect, the telecom company working on the Polar project.
The group’s white paper notes that Europe’s data currently has three routes to Asia, none of them ideal: through the Red Sea, through Russia, or through the US, a “long route controlled by non-European entities.” The cable would make Europe’s data infrastructure more resilient, lower latency between the EU and Asia, and “strengthen Europe’s autonomy,” Jansson said, adding that it could also allow for better environmental monitoring of the Arctic.

https://polarconnect.net

“The problem is icebergs”
Others have attempted an Arctic cable, never successfully.
“People have discussed this for at least 20 years,” said Alan Mauldin, a research director at TeleGeography, the cable industry research firm.
Installation would be challenging and expensive, requiring retrofitting a cable ship for Arctic conditions and procuring icebreakers to escort it across the North Pole.
But the real obstacle is maintenance.
“What if there is damage to the cable from, it’s called ice scour, when ice scrapes against her cable and damages it. Then you can’t repair it until summer,” Mauldin said.
“We’ve seen so many projects come and go.There’s a reason for that, right? It’s very challenging.”
Beck raised the same repair issue.
“The problem is icebergs,” said Beck.
They can drag along the bottom of the ocean floor, digging long grooves deeper than a cable can be buried.
“That’s what happened to Quintillion. Twice.”
Quintillion was the last attempt at an Arctic cable.
In 2016 it acquired the assets of Arctic Fibre, the previous attempt to build an Arctic cable between Europe and Asia.
Quintillion activated a portion that ran from Nome along the northern coast of Alaska to Prudhoe Bay, but in June 2023, sea ice broke it.
Because there are no icebreaker cable ships, Quintillion had to wait for the summer ice to melt before it could fix the cable.
Then in January of last year, an iceberg struck again.
This time in deep winter, no one could repair the cable for eight months.
The rest of the route was never laid.
The expensive repair costs and potential for lengthy downtimes makes an Arctic cable financially unattractive, Mauldin and Beck said.
The question is whether governments now see the cable as strategically important enough to outweigh that.
“I think the EU is really big on this thing because they think it’s data sovereignty, but it would be enormously expensive.
It’s never been done before,” said Beck.
Jansson is aware of the challenges, but he believes the new geopolitical situation and new technologies will make it feasible.
Tech companies are building data centers in the Nordic countries, he said, and will want fast and resilient connectivity, but ultimately it will require public investment.
He places the cost estimate for the Norway-Japan leg at “below 1 billion euros.”
The goal is for it to go live in 2030.
That may be the easy part.

Links :

MSN : EU plans undersea cables to bypass Middle East and Russia
CapacityGlovbal : Arctic cable plans warm up as Japan-US-European group is formed
Submarine Cable networks : War in the Gulf Severs the World's Digital Arteries: How the Iran Conflict Is Reshaping Global Connectivity

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

How the Wind Rose shaped history’s greatest journeys

From The Cartographic Institute

Origins of the Wind Rose: From Myth to Maritime Utility

Maps have been integral to human civilization for centuries, serving as indispensable tools for navigation and exploration.
Among the various elements on maps, the wind rose (Compass Rose) stands out as a unique feature.
It is a crucial element that has evolved over time.
This essay explores the history of the rose.
It traces its origins, development, and significance in the world of cartography.

The wind rose finds its roots in ancient civilizations.
Seafarers and explorers sought innovative ways to navigate the vast oceans.
Early examples of wind indicators date back to ancient Greece.
Mariners used primitive depictions of wind directions on navigational charts.
However, it was not until the medieval period that the compass rose took a more structured form.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
The Cartographic Institute earns a small commission on qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate at no additional cost to you.
Purchase: Jansson Wind Rose, Anemographic Chart, or Map of The Winds Circa 1650 Art Print

Medieval Navigation: The Wind Rose Takes Shape

The Renaissance marked a period of great advancements in various fields, including cartography.
Nautical charts became more sophisticated, and the wind rose underwent further refinement.
Cartographers like Gerardus Mercatorand Abraham Ortelius improved compass roses significantly.
They incorporated them into their maps with greater precision.
The increased accuracy of these diagrams facilitated more reliable navigation for sailors and explorers.

The Age of Exploration: Guiding Empires Across the Seas

The 18th and 19th centuries saw significant scientific advancements, including improvements in meteorology and understanding of wind patterns.
This scientific knowledge influenced the design of wind roses, incorporating more accurate depictions of prevailing winds and trade routes.
It became not only a navigational aid but also a reflection of the emerging scientific understanding of meteorology.

The 20th century brought about a revolution in mapmaking with the advent of technology.
Cartography transitioned from traditional hand-drawn maps to computer-generated graphics.
The rose underwent a digital transformation, becoming a dynamic element that could be customized based on real-time weather data.
This technological leap further enhanced the accuracy and utility of wind roses in modern navigation.

Digital Wind: The Wind Rose in 20th and 21st Century Mapping

In the 21st century, despite the prevalence of GPS and advanced navigation systems, it remains significant on maps.
This feature is still important.
It continues to provide valuable information for sailors, aviators, and even outdoor enthusiasts.
Traditional knowledge and modern technology have combined to create wind roses.
These are not only visually appealing but also highly informative.

The history of the wind rose on maps is a journey through the evolution of navigation and cartography.
The rose has evolved from its humble beginnings in ancient times.
Now it has sophisticated digital representations in the modern era.
It has played a vital role in guiding explorers and travelers across the globe.
We advance in technology.
The wind rose stands as a testament to the enduring importance of understanding the forces of nature.
It also highlights harnessing these forces in our quest for exploration and discovery.

Monday, May 18, 2026

Report speculates US or NATO sank Russian ship carrying nuclear equipment

A Russian "shadow fleet" vessel carrying submarine nuclear reactors sank in the Mediterranean Sea.

From Maritime Executive

Ursa Major was listing when Spanish rescue teams reached the ship

A new report from the US news outlet CNN, based on leaked information, is adding new speculation to the Russian claims that its cargo ship was attacked and sunk, possibly by the US or NATO.
The heavy-lift cargo ship Ursa Major went down under mysterious circumstances off the coast of Spain in December 2024, with the vessel’s owners asserting it was the victim of a terrorist attack, while Russia has remained quiet about much of the incident.

CNN is citing data from the Spanish investigation into the sinking of the vessel.
It also notes an unusual level of Russian activity at the site and also believes the United States sent two planes capable of detecting nuclear material over the site.

The vessel was well-known to military analysts, as it had been involved in moving Russian equipment out of Syria and was sanctioned by the United States.
Built in 2009, it was acquired by the Russians in 2017 and first sailed as the Sparta 3 and, starting in 2021, as Ursa Major.
The ship was 9,500 dwt and 142 meters (467 feet) in length.

According to the report from CNN, the ship loaded its cargo first at Ust-Luga and then at a Russian container port at the beginning of December 2024.
The declared cargo was two deck-loaded cranes, containers which were said to be empty, and two “manhole covers” bound for Vladivostok.
CNN reports that Spanish authorities were suspicious, noting that the cargo could have been more easily moved on the internal Russian railway network.

Portuguese naval forces were tracking the ship as it made its way along the coast and entered the Mediterranean.
At times, it was also accompanied by two Russian military ships.

According to the investigations, Spanish authorities contracted the vessel on December 22 when they noticed it had slowed and basically stopped in the Mediterranean south of Cartagena.
The captain reportedly radioed back that the ship was fine, but about 24 hours later, he issued a distress call.

The 14 surviving crewmembers went into a lifeboat and were picked up by a Spanish rescue boat.
Two other crewmembers were said to have died in the engine room.
The Russian military ships reached the scene and demanded the return of the crew and ordered vessels to keep two nautical miles away from the ship.

According to CNN, the Spanish refused and said they were conducting a rescue operation.
They boarded the ship, and CNN saw a video that shows the ship being searched.
The rescuers found the engine room locked and were unable to enter, but they searched the accommodations and containers and found mostly trash and items like fishing nets.
They said the ship had a heavy list but seemed stable when they left, and they took the surviving crewmembers to Spain.

Four hours later, they report the Russian vessels fired flares over the Ursa Major, and then there were four explosions.
The Spanish National Seismic Network told CNN the explosions were of a magnitude that they detected them.

The report by the Spanish says the captain was reluctant to talk, likely fearing for his safety, but finally said on the prior day the ship had slowed suddenly, and they were investigating.
He claimed they found a large hole that was 50 cm by 50 cm (20 inches by 20 inches), and the metal was bent inwards, but felt no explosion.

Interviewing experts and reviewing the still confidential Spanish report, CNN speculates the explosion could have been caused by a Barracuda supercavitating torpedo.
It notes that only the United States, several NATO countries, Russia, and Iran have these high-speed torpedoes.
Sources told CNN the damage to the ship is consistent with this type of attack, while others told CNN it was more likely a limpet mine.

Elements of the Spanish report had previously been leaked, reporting that the captain admitted the ship was carrying components for two nuclear reactors “similar to those used in submarines.” Further, the captain reportedly said he expected the ship to be diverted to North Korea.
CNN speculates that the deck-loaded cranes were to help the ship offload the components in North Korea.

It is impossible because of the 2,500-meter (8,200-foot) depth to search the remains of the ship and locate its data recorders.

CNN, however, reveals continued activity at the site of the wreck.
A week after the Ursa Major went down, it claims a Russian spy ship was positioned over the wreck for several days.
CNN reports there were four more explosions at the site.
In addition, it says public records show the U.S.
sent its sophisticated nuclear detection planes over the site in August 2025 and again in February.

Predictably, all the authorities declined to comment in response to CNN’s inquiries.
It points out the strange nature of the incident but concludes the secrets of the Ursa Major rest on the sea floor.

Links :