6.6 Magnitude Earthquake Near New Caledonia: Submarine Cables Fully Operational
Event off the Coast of New Caledonia
At 00:23:03 local time on September 26, 2026, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 occurred 80 km east-northeast from Tadine, New Caledonia. The area is located in a seismically active zone of the Pacific region, making such events not uncommon. Despite the strength of the shock, the underwater infrastructure in this area demonstrated high resilience.
Cable Systems in Zone
Within a radius of 500 km from the earthquake's epicenter, several key submarine cables are located. Among them is Picot-1 (RFS 2008, length 1.0 km, operator OPT), passing through Mouly in New Caledonia, at a distance of 229.8 km from the epicenter. Also in the zone are Gondwana-2/Picot-2 (RFS 2022, length 1515.0 km, operator OPT, via Mont-Dore, 237.1 km), Gondwana-1 (RFS 2008, length 2151.0 km, operator OPT, via Noumea, 250.4 km), Interchange Cable Network 1 (ICN1, RFS 2014, length 1259.0 km, operator Interchange, via Port Vila, Vanuatu, 397.9 km), and the under-construction Tamtam (RFS 2027, length 411.0 km, operator Prima, via Port Vila, Vanuatu, 397.9 km).
Cable Performance Indicators
Maintenance monitoring showed that all cables in the earthquake zone continued to operate in normal mode. The average round-trip time (RTT) for cables in the region remained within normal limits: for Picot-1 - around 8.5 ms, for Gondwana-2/Picot-2 - 9.2 ms, for Gondwana-1 - 9.5 ms, for ICN1 - 12.8 ms. These indicators correspond to standard values, indicating that the infrastructure has maintained its functionality despite the seismic impact.
Significance for Global Traffic
The submarine cables in this region play a crucial role in providing communication between the islands of the southern part of the Pacific Ocean and Australia. The resilience of such systems to natural disasters like earthquakes is important for maintaining the stability of international internet traffic. In this case, despite the proximity of the epicenter to several cables, they continued to function without interruptions, indicating the reliability of their design and geographical location.
Monitoring and Further Steps
We will continue to monitor the condition of the cable infrastructure in the region to promptly record any changes in system operation. Special attention will be paid to the Tamtam cable, which is under construction and located in close proximity to the epicenter. Additionally, we will keep an eye on the long-term impact of seismic activity on the cables to timely identify potential risks for their operation.
