Tunisia Floods Disrupt Submarine Cables, RTT Spikes Detected in Key Systems

Flood in Tunisia: What Is Known

On August 18, 2026, a "green" alert level was declared in Tunisia due to flooding. The event affected coastal areas, including the city of Kelibia, which is an important node for several submarine cables. The flood continues, and its impacts on telecommunications infrastructure are already becoming apparent.

Submarine Cables in Flooded Areas

Around 500 km from the flooded zone are several key submarine cables. Among them:

• Trapani-Kelibia 2 (KELTRA-2), length 209 km, commissioned in 2007, operators - Sparkle and Tunisia Telecom.
• HANNIBAL System, length 178 km, commissioned in 2009, operator - Tunisia Telecom.
• Didon, length 170 km, commissioned in 2014, operators - Ooredoo Tunisie and Orange Tunisie.
• Middle East North Africa (MENA) Cable System, length 8000 km, commissioned in 2014, operators - Gulf Bridge International and Telecom Egypt.
• Italy-Libya, length 570 km, commissioned in 1998, operators - Libya International Telecommunications Company and Sparkle.
• GO-1 Mediterranean Cable System, length 290 km, commissioned in 2008, operator - GO plc.

All these cables have landing points in Kelibia, Tunisia, or neighboring regions such as Mazara del Vallo in Italy.

Analysis of Data: Recorded Anomalies

Our measurements show significant changes in signal delay (RTT) on several cables. For example:

• The KELTRA-2 RTT increased from 75.0 ms to 152.3 ms (an increase of 77.2 ms, exceeding the baseline by 2.5σ).
• The HANNIBAL System RTT grew from 91.5 ms to 151.6 ms (an increase of 60.1 ms, 13.3σ).
• The Didon RTT increased from 75.7 ms to 159.1 ms (an increase of 83.4 ms, 3.1σ).
• The MENA Cable System RTT rose from 141.1 ms to 295.3 ms (an increase of 154.3 ms, 10.6σ).
• The Italy-Libya RTT increased from 70.4 ms to 149.6 ms (an increase of 79.2 ms, 2.6σ).
• The GO-1 RTT grew from 59.6 ms to 115.1 ms (an increase of 55.5 ms, 18.5σ).

Such changes may indicate network overload or infrastructure damage.

Impacts on Internet Traffic

A sharp increase in RTT on several cables may affect internet traffic routes between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. This is especially relevant for high-capacity cables such as MENA and GO-1. There may be data transmission delays that could impact the performance of internet services, including streaming video, video conferencing, and cloud applications.

In addition, flooding near Kellibia may cause physical damage to coastal stations, increasing the risk of prolonged network disruptions.

Plans for Further Monitoring

We will continue to monitor changes in the characteristics of all affected cables, including RTT, packet loss, and throughput. Special attention will be given to cables with the greatest anomalies, such as KELTRA-2, HANNIBAL, and GO-1. We will also observe restoration efforts in Kellibia and other coastal areas.

Additional data will be published as it becomes available to provide an accurate picture of the impact of the flooding on submarine infrastructure.