High Court Rules Wexford Trawler Owners Must Pay for Damage to Virgin Media Undersea Cable

A Wexford-based trawler company has been ordered by the High Court to pay more than €345,000 to Virgin Media Wholesale Limited after damaging a fibre-optic cable that provides vital internet and phone links between Ireland and the UK.

The case relates to an incident in January 2015, when the Lida Suzanna—a scallop fishing vessel—was dredging the seabed and damaged a 219km subsea cable running from Dublin to Lytham St Anne’s, near Blackpool in England. In his ruling, Mr Justice Denis McDonald found the vessel’s owners were negligent and failed in their duty of care by not taking precautions to avoid snagging the cable. The court awarded $397,514 (€335,823) and £9,000 (€10,376) to Virgin Media, covering the full cost of repairs. The trawler owners had denied responsibility, arguing that Virgin was at fault for not adequately protecting or burying its cable in an area used for fishing for centuries. They claimed their activities were lawful and part of traditional fishing rights. However, the court rejected these arguments. The damaged cable—installed in 1998—is one of two that connect Ireland and Britain, forming a critical part of Virgin’s telecom infrastructure. While the company was able to reroute services via a secondary cable, the court concluded there was no contributory negligence on Virgin’s part. This ruling underscores the responsibilities of fishing operators when working near sensitive infrastructure, and may have broader implications for how undersea assets are protected in shared maritime zones.