THE HAGUE – A new Dutch national security assessment identifies Curaçao's submarine telecommunications cables as a potential target for sabotage, warning that an attack on critical cable infrastructure could disrupt communications beyond the island and affect several Caribbean territories.
The warning appears in the 2026 National Security Risk Assessment, prepared by the National Security Analysts Network (ANV) at the request of the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV).
The report includes a hypothetical scenario in which two landing points for submarine telecommunications cables on Curaçao are damaged following intelligence-gathering activities.
The scenario examines the potential consequences of sabotage directed at infrastructure that connects the island to international telecommunications networks.
According to the assessment, the damage, combined with an electricity outage, could cause disruptions extending beyond Curaçao to other Caribbean islands, including Trinidad and Tobago and Puerto Rico.
The researchers use the scenario to demonstrate how interference with a relatively small number of infrastructure facilities can have consequences across an interconnected region.
Submarine cables play an essential role in international communications, carrying data between countries and supporting digital services.
Disruption to these connections could therefore affect businesses, government services and other organizations that depend on reliable international communications.
The assessment places the scenario within a broader discussion of foreign espionage, covert interference and sabotage.
Dutch security researchers warn that critical infrastructure, including telecommunications networks and facilities located beneath the sea, can become targets for hostile actors seeking to create disruption.
The report also notes that the range of potential targets for foreign interference has expanded, increasing the number of sectors that must consider the possibility of hostile activity.
For Curaçao, the scenario raises questions about the physical security of cable landing facilities, the resilience of international communications and the availability of alternative connections during a major disruption.
However, the assessment does not state that an attack on Curaçao's submarine cables has occurred or that a specific attack is currently being prepared.
The incident described is a hypothetical security scenario developed to evaluate vulnerabilities and potential consequences.
The main report also does not identify the precise cable landing locations involved or disclose specific security weaknesses at those facilities.
The researchers emphasize that threats to vital infrastructure are increasingly interconnected.
An attack on telecommunications infrastructure could become more disruptive if accompanied by electricity failures or other interruptions to essential services.
The findings demonstrate that Curaçao's strategic location and participation in regional communications networks can make the island important not only to its own digital economy but also to the resilience of telecommunications services elsewhere in the Caribbean.
The assessment is intended to help inform an update of the Security Strategy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.