Flood in Malaysia Disrupts Submarine Cables, SJC and EAC-C2C Show Major Anomalies
Flood in Malaysia
On September 22, 2026, a green alert level was declared in Malaysia due to flooding. The natural phenomenon affected coastal regions of the country, including areas where submarine cable nodes are located. Although infrastructure generally held up, our measurements recorded significant anomalies in the operation of some trunk communication lines.
Submarine Cables in Flood Zone
Within a 500 km radius from the flood zone, several submarine cables are situated, including Southeast Asia-Japan Cable (SJC) and Southeast Asia-Japan Cable 2 (SJC2), both passing through nodes in Singapore. Also located in this area are EAC-C2C, Besut-Perhentian Islands, Lumut-Pangkor Island, Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), and Bay of Bengal Gateway (BBG).
The largest anomalies were recorded on the following cables:
- SJC (RFS 2013, 8900 km): node in Tuas, Singapore, 446.7 km from the flood zone.
- SJC2 (RFS 2025, 10500 km): node in Changi South, Singapore, 460.5 km.
- EAC-C2C (RFS 2002, 36500 km): node in Changi North, Singapore, 460.5 km.
Data Analysis and Anomalies
Our measurements showed a significant increase in signal travel time (RTT) on several cables:
- SJC: RTT increased from 90.0 ms to 215.7 ms (delta +125.7 ms, 3.5σ from the baseline value).
- SJC2: RTT rose from 127.9 ms to 243.3 ms (delta +115.4 ms, 2.1σ).
- EAC-C2C: RTT increased from 87.7 ms to 285.3 ms (delta +197.5 ms, 45.2σ).
Such spikes may be related to the impact on land infrastructure or increased load on alternative routes.
Impact on Traffic and Risks
Anomalies in the operation of trunk cables SJC, SJC2, and EAC-C2C may affect internet traffic routing between Southeast Asia and other regions. Increased latency and possible overloads on backup routes can cause temporary access issues for users in Asia and beyond.
Cables Besut-Perhentian Islands and Lumut-Pangkor Island, providing local connectivity in Malaysia, are closest to the flood zone, but our data do not yet show changes in their operation.
Plans for Further Monitoring
We continue to monitor the condition of cables in the region, paying special attention to SJC, SJC2 and EAC-C2C, where the most significant anomalies have been recorded. We are also observing local lines such as Besut-Perhentian Islands and Lumut-Pangkor Island to promptly identify possible flood impacts.
Further updates will be published as new information and data analysis become available.
