Bulkcarrier got wrong coordinates and broke fibre optic cable

The "Alex A" broke a Telefonica fibre optic cable, one of the two connecting Ceuta with mainland Spain, while anchoring in the morning of May 12, 2017. The Traffic Control Center gave the master wrong coordinates, and directed the bulk carrier to an area prohibited for anchoring. The master obeyed and dropped anchor. Soon after, the Traffic Control Center realized that it gave a wrong position, and directed the bulk carrier to another anchorage. The bulkcarrier moved to the new position, but the cable was already broken. Now the Spanish authorities were blaming the master for the damage, because he had charts with established safe and prohibited mooring zones. The authorities required a 500,000 Euro guarantee deposit from the owner, and the bulkcarrier which was enroute from Damietta to Ceuta was detained off the port until the bail was deposited.